A day of international solidarity
The National Day of Albania was held at the Lutherse Kerk in Den Haag in early December.
Besides commemorating this significant landmark in the history of the country, the aim of the event was to stand in solidarity with the families affected by the earthquake in Albania, as well as to provide support to the reconstruction process.
The country’s infrastructure has been seriously damaged, with more than 1,465 buildings hit by the earthquake in the capital Tirana alone, and 900 other buildings seriously damages in the surrounding area.
It was rewarding to see so many heads of diplomatic missions attending the event, showing an interest to learn about the actual situation in the country after the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck in late November 2019. The earthquake caused the death of 51 persons, injured 2,500 and made more than 4,000 people suddenly homeless.
During her speech, Ambassador of Albania, H.E. Ms. Adia Sakiqi,emphasized the importance of this holiday for all the Albanian diaspora, and described the challenges that Albania faced in the wake of the earthquake. She presented the online portal where donations could be carried out to help those affected. Present for the event were also Ms. Pandeli Majko, State Minister for Diaspora, and Ms. Elisa Spiropali, Minister for Relations with Parliament.
H.E. Mr. Abdelouahab Bellouki, Ambassador of Morocco, H.E.Ms. Adia Sakiqi, Ambassador of Albania and H.E. Ms. Sahar Ghanem, Ambassador of Yemen.
Many ambassadors and diplomats from EU countries, USA, India, Turkey, Japan, Morocco, Belarus, Armenia, Yemen, Tunisia, Lithuania, as well representatives of Dutch institutions and international organizations attended the reception on the occasion of Albania’s national day.
The event also hosted Dutch personalities, representatives of the foreign ministry, parliament, diplomatic corps, business and think tanks. The reception during the third part of the event was then held with representatives of the diaspora, Albanian students in the Netherlands, and Dutch friends of Albania.
An essential part of the event was the presentation of “Xhubleta”, a traditional Albanian costume, which easily distinguishes itself from any other traditional garment typical of countries in Southeast Europe. According to ethnological studies, Xhubleta is a special and very interesting type of suit, and is considered the oldest in age, originating about four thousand years ago.
This fact is evidenced by the various archaeological findings carried out in some Mediterranean sites, such as in Crete, Mycenae, Klicevic (Bosnia), etc., which date to the second millennium BC. Three Albanian natives wore the traditional “Xhubleta” costume and showcased it for the guests.
