Your Excellency, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania,
Madam Ambassador,
Mr. Consul General,
Ladies and Gentlemen Members of Parliament,
Dear Compatriots,
Dear Friends,
It is with great joy and emotion that we inaugurate today the new building of the Consulate General of Greece, here in Korçë, namely the “Seferis” Building. This is the building, where Giorgos Seferis, a diplomat, poet, and later winner of the 1963 Nobel Prize in Literature, lived and worked as Consul in 1936-37. Back then, it was owned by a Greek family and purchased by Greece in 1998, in a dilapidated state. Greeks from Korçë and all over Albania, as well as from Greece, contributed to the restoration of the building with donations, as did institutions and companies from both countries. Greece ultimately financed the completion of its restoration.
Giorgos Seferis was inspired by his stay here, and the presence of an internationally renowned humanist poet is certainly an honor for the city. A city that has always been the epicenter of culture in Albania, both Greek and Albanian.
The Greek language continues to be present in Korçë, starting from the once renowned Bangas Gymnasium and nowadays through the Greek-Albanian school “Homer,” the “Platon” High School, and the “Aristotelis” Greek language school, which Greece will continue to support.
Allow me at this point to mention the case of Sotir Papahristo, to whom we owe the Albanian translations of most of the works of ancient Greek drama and who received his formal education and then worked for many years in the city of Korçë. He is a truly brilliant example of Greek-Albanian intellectual interaction.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our Embassies and Consulates are the image of Greece abroad. The new building of the Consulate General in Korçë is part of the efforts we have been undertaking over the last two years at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to upgrade the buildings of our Missions around the world, as well as to digitalize consular services. It is tangible proof that our goal is to strengthen ties between the Greek diaspora and the motherland.
In today's world, there are many challenges to freedom and peace. Beginning with our neighboring countries, we make sure to promote good neighborly relations.
As neighboring and friendly countries, Greece and Albania prioritize stability and prosperity in our wider region, both through the development of our bilateral relations and through the promotion of regional cooperation.
Border revisionism policies now belong to the past.
As Giorgos Seferis would write in his famous poem “Piazza san Nicolò”:
“And all this is an old story that no longer interests anyone;
we've hardened our hearts and grown up.”
[from George Seferis: Collected Poems, 1924-1955. Bilingual Edition, translated by Philip Sherrard, edited by Edmund Keeley]
Your presence, dear Igli, at the inauguration of the Greek Consulate General sends an important message. You know what belonging to a Minority means and you fully understand the importance Greece attaches to safeguarding and protecting the rights of the indigenous Greek National Minority, which we will not cease to provide for.
Your outstanding tenure at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Albania has contributed significantly to the improvement of relations between our two countries. And for that, I would like to express my sincere personal gratitude.
Today, here in Korçë, the Greek National Minority unites us. And it continues to function, for centuries, as the bridge of communication and understanding between the two peoples.
In conclusion, I would like to thank all those who worked for and contributed to the completion of this historically significant project.
I would like to congratulate our Ambassador, Ms. Konstantina Kamitsi, the Consul General of Greece, Mr. Nikolaos Giotopoulos, and all the staff of our Consulate General, whose tireless efforts have made today's important achievement possible.
Allow me to close with some lines by Giorgos Seferis:
“It's no great matter to climb up but it's very difficult for you to change
when the house is in the stone church and your heart in the darkening house.”
[from George Seferis: Collected Poems, 1924-1955. Bilingual Edition, translated by Philip Sherrard, edited by Edmund Keeley]
I wish everyone happiness and success.
July 7, 2025