PRESS RELEASE
Bank of Albania attends the activities of the Second Summit of the Albanian Diaspora

The Second Summit of the Albanian Diaspora was held from 28 February– 2 March 2019. The Summit was organized by the Albanian Government and was attended by prominent Albanian personalities from business, science, art and culture communities abroad.

It provided also a platform for discussing various issues regarding the policy-making of the Albanian state, including the new approach of cooperating with the Diaspora and, at the same time, the perspective of the Diaspora on the impact of these policies, while focusing on the achieved successes and the challenges encountered in this cooperation.

The Bank of Albania was also part of these activities organized for the Second Summit of the Albanian Diaspora.

On 1 March 2019, at the invitation of the organizers, the First Deputy Governor of the Bank of Albania, Ms Luljeta Minxhozi, delivered a speech in the panel on "Sustainable economic development – the Home country and the Diaspora".

In her address, Ms Minxhozi said that the Albanian Diaspora is characterized by a strong connection with the home country and a significant contribution it gives to its economic growth. In this context, she emphasized the important role of remittances in Albania’s economy, and the measures the Bank of Albania is undertaking for promoting and facilitating the transferring remittances to the domestic economy.

In this regard, the First Deputy Governor Minxhozi underlined the importance of implementing a joint project of the Bank of Albania and the World Bank to formalize the inflow of remittances through banking channels. The drafting of a new draft-law on retail payments, which includes remittances, is another important step in this process. 

At the fair organized in Tirana, on 1 March 2019, the Bank of Albania had a dedicated booth and presented periodic and non-periodic publications of the Bank, numismatic materials, as well as two documentaries on: "The role and functions of the Bank of Albania" and "Highlights in the history of banking and of the Albanian lek over 100 years".

Also, a sculpture in the form of a coin dedicated to the theme of the Diaspora was presented. The messages of the obverse and reverse are complementary:  the obverse depicts the drama of departing from the homeland; meanwhile, the reverse shows the return of the emigrants, an idealistic return, filled with the love for the country, the desire to contribute to the home country, and characterised by a legacy of values.

On 2 March 2019, the Bank of Albania presented these items in a dedicated booth at the library of Lezha, on the occasion activities commemorating the 575th anniversary of the League of Lezha.

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