Ambassador Rokanas Goes To Gjirokastra

By Nicky Mariam Onti

 
The new Ambassador of Greece to Albania, Leonidas Rokanas, visited Gjirokastra, where part of the Greek minority in Albania lives and told them of Greece’s determination to improve relations between the countries, as well as Athens’ readiness so as to effectively contribute to Albania’s European integration.

The mayor and prefect of Gjirokastra stressed the need to strengthen cross-border cooperation in the framework of bilateral relations and in European Union programs’ level. They also highlighted the essential role that the Greek minority plays in the region’s overall stability and development.
Prefect Mimoza Como made a special mention of the efforts made by the Albanian side in order to meet the rights of the Greek minority, mainly in an educational level. Rokanas referred to the need for an educational agreement between the two countries and the activation of a Joint Committee to examine the contents of school texts.

Regarding to the Greek minority in Albania, Rokanas  said he was aware of their problems and promised he would work with the Greek Consulate to help improve their lives. He also visited the University of Ioannina in order to see if there is any potential for developing cooperation activities with Albanian universities to develop partnerships.