Prishtina, May 6, 2019 \u2013 The President of state, Hashim Tha\u00e7i, received today a big delegation of Arb\u00ebresh from Italy.<\/p>\n
President Tha\u00e7i said that it is a special pleasure that this Arb\u00ebresh delegation is among us, in the free, independent Kosovo that soon marks the 20th anniversary of liberation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel especially honoured and privileged to address the sisters and brother in blood and in our language.To those who became beacons of the preservation and development of all Albanian cultural values for longer than 6 centuries. The Albanians of all time and of all the generations, wherever they might be, feel proud with you and have a lot to learn from your life, your work and your activity, because you are our original, proper roots, our genesis\u201d, stated President Tha\u00e7i.<\/p>\n
The Head of State said that the Arb\u00ebresh are the image and the model of the Albanians, without the influence of the 500 year long occupation by the ottomans.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are the untorn and genuine thread of the Albanian civilisation. You have preserved the language of our forefathers, the traditions, the faith, autochthonous culture and above all, the pearls of the folklore: rhapsodies and dances. The Arb\u00ebresh rhapsodies and dances remain the unique pearls of the Albanian culture. They have transcended the borders of the southern Italy and are sung everywhere where there are Albanians, at their weddings and celebrations\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
President Tha\u00e7i said to the Arb\u00ebresh delegation that as in the past, also today, your churches bear Albanian markings.<\/p>\n
\u201cOut of you came the great personalities which became the inspiration of the nation and beyond. The Arb\u00ebresh have always been a positive factor in Italy. You have contributed to the political and cultural life of Italy. Let us mention Francesco Crispi, who played a great role in the movement for the unification of Italy. He became the Prime Minister of the country and was a close collaborator of Giuseppe Garibaldi. Antonio Gramsci is another example of the participation of the Arb\u00ebresh in the political life of Italy, to mention but a few\u201d, added President Tha\u00e7i.<\/p>\n
The Head of State said that three things were holy to the Arb\u00ebresh, and they became a cult.<\/p>\n
\u201cCult became the figure of our national hero, Gjergj Kastrioti, which was reborn at the Arb\u00ebresh, the Flag and the Albanian language\u201d, he stated.<\/p>\n
President Tha\u00e7i said that the Arb\u00ebresh preserved and developed their national identity within their colonies, within a nation of great culture, which gave the Renaissance to humanity.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou, with your work, your dedication and your studies, made the national values, the Albanian language and culture, not only to be preserved but also to be further developed when the nation under the Ottoman Empire was suffering the cultural darkness and economic and social regression. You have given meaning to the most important political and cultural Albanian movement, the National Renaissance, led by the literary colossus Jeronim De Rada, who is also the ideator of the modern Albanian literature\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
President Tha\u00e7i admitted that Jeronim De Rada is our greatest man of the Renaissance, with a fully developed national profile and nurtured with the occidental values.<\/p>\n
Today, we are proud of the contribution you continue to provide to your second homeland, Italy. The indisputable intellectual and cultural values of the Arb\u00ebresh have been an important factor in positioning of Italy on the side of the countries which support the democratic values and the freedom of the nations, thus making Italy one of the first countries to recognise the Independence of Kosovo\u201d, stated President Tha\u00e7i.<\/p>\n
The Head of State stressed that the Albanian nation will be eternally grateful to the work and activities of the Arb\u00ebresh of Italy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Prishtina, May 6, 2019 \u2013 The President of state, Hashim Tha\u00e7i, received today a big delegation of Arb\u00ebresh from Italy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25125,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n