Government signs deal with religious communities

TIRANA, April 9 – The government reached agreement Tuesday with the Orthodox and Muslim religious communities on creating formal bilateral ties and also on how to return properties owned by religious groups confiscated by the communist regime.
However, the decision was not find received well by the justice ministry. Justice officials said such property issues must be treated like all other cases of property being returned to individuals, an issue that has been going on for the last 18 years in post-communist Albania. Religious communities have continuously complained for not having their property returned to them.
However, only a few properties have been returned.
Albania has a predominantly Muslim community, followed by the Orthodox and Roman Catholic communities.
The country has always been considered a model of coexistence.(Tirana Times Staff)