President Meta joined by Italian counterpart in Arberesh community visit

Albania’s President Ilir Meta was joined by his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella this week as he visited southern Italy, a region where the ethnic Albanian Arberesh community has been living since settling in the 15th century following the death of Albania’s national hero Skanderbeg and Ottoman occupation.  A community of some 90,000 people, the Arberesh have preserved the Albanian language and traditions for more than five centuries and are also marking 2018 as the ‘Pan-national Skanderbeg Year’ commemorating the 550^th death anniversary of Albania’s national hero.