Prime Minister Edi Rama, accompanied by his spouse Linda Rama, today visited Calabria, Southern Italy, where he was extended an enthusiastic welcome by the Arbëresh community there. The Premier paid a special visit to the Arbëresh Eparchy of Lungro (Arbëresh Albanian: Ungra) that proudly preserves the Albanian roots and identity to this day.

“Welcome Prime Minister of Albania to our Arbëresh Byzantine-era Eparchy of Lungro (Ungra) in Calabri. Your visit is a happy day for all the Arbëresh, as it strengthens our ties with Mother Albania,” said the Bishop of the Eparchy of Lungro, a diocese of the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church in Calabria, Italy.

On his part, Prime Minister Edi Rama expressed gratitude for the warm hospitality and considered his visit an opportunity to feel and experience firsthand the reality of a very important community like the Arbëresh community that always knew how to preserve identity and traditions over the centuries and passing them down for generations.

“I would like to express my gratitude for this hospitality and for these very special moments. We are very grateful for this reception, this opportunity to know, hear and figure out firsthand how we can deliver on many things together and how we can help one another,” PM Rama said.