Saranda hosts European Archaeological Council meeting

TIRANA, March 21 – Two years after joining the European Archeological Council (EAC), Albania is hosting the 14th EAC Heritage Management Symposium. European archeological experts have gathered in Saranda, Albania’s southernmost coastal town to discuss “the Valetta Convention: Twenty years After – Challenges for the future.”
Saranda, known as the pearl of Albania, and two UNESCO World Heritage sites, the Butrint archeological park and Gjirokastra will be the venues of the three-day event also aimed at promoting Albania’s cultural heritage tourism.
In March 2011, Albania became the latest member of the Europae Archaeologiae Consilium (EAC), archeological officials said after participating in the EAC annual meeting held in Belgium from March 17 to 19. “The membership will help Albanian archeologists for the second stage, that after excavations, to promote and manage the sites,” said Roland Olli, the director of the archeology agency at the Culture Ministry.
The membership will also help Albanian experts improve their professional skills by participating in seminars and training sessions organized by the EAC.
The primary mission of the Europae Archaeologiae Consilium is to support the management of the archaeological heritage throughout Europe and to serve the needs of national archaeological heritage management agencies by providing a forum for organisations to establish closer and more structured co-operation and exchange of information.
Albania, with its cultural heritage values, continues to be an attractive and open “museum” for all visitors. Situated between two major ancient civilizations, the Greek and Roman ones, Albania has inherited an invaluable treasure of cultural heritage, which naturally belongs to the world cultural heritage. This heritage can be found anywhere, in archaeological parks, natural parks, art galleries, photographic and film archives, castles and fortresses, religious monuments and vernacular architecture, in the stone paved paths and all over the country’s museums.
The country’s cultural heritage is well known abroad, it is admired by visitors who want to see the masterpieces of culture and art, to understand the testimonies of prehistory, classical period and Illyrian civilization, and the material blend of Illyrian, Greek and Roman culture.