French Culture Week in Korça/ Support for EU integration and further cultural development

2025-06-22 18:06:00, Kulturë CNA

French Culture Week in Korça/ Support for EU integration and further

Korça, the city of art, culture and rich history, hosted this week one of the most important international events in the field of culture . For the first time, the French Culture Week, a national initiative traditionally held in several cities in Albania, was dedicated exclusively to Korça. This decision reflects not only respect for the long-standing ties that this city has with French culture, but also for its vision oriented towards the future and European integration.

At the official opening ceremony, the Ambassador of France to Albania, Ms. Catherine Suard, emphasized the traditional and stable relations that connect Korça with France, which are now taking on a new dimension through concrete collaborations in areas such as culture, education and local development.

"As you know, we have the French Culture Week, which is a national event and we have decided to dedicate it to Korça. Our relationship with Korça is traditional and distant, the goal is for this relationship to become present and serve the future, so we have come here. In addition to the cultural project, within the framework of the cooperation we have between the municipalities of Chambery and Korça, I would like to thank Mr. Sotiraq Filo and Mr. Thierry Repentin, former Minister of European Affairs in France, who came especially for this event in Korça. France fully supports Albania's integration into the EU, this was also said by President Macron during his visits to Albania, and European integration goes not only through culture, but also through the development of territories, territorial cooperation projects, sustainable development, so I want to thank the two mayors for these projects they have in this field," said Suard.

French Culture Week in Korça/ Support for EU integration and further

Part of the French delegation was also Mr. Thierry Repentin, Mayor of Chambery and former Minister for European Affairs in the French government. He arrived in Korça to deepen cooperation between the two municipalities and to express France's continued support for Albania's European path.

"The fact that I am here today as the mayor of Chambery, but also as a former minister of European affairs, is to confirm once again that Albania is in Europe and we will accompany this process of EU membership. This reality and this European perspective has been accompanied at high political levels, has the support of the French government, as President Macron has come to Albania twice, and Prime Minister Rama has also made continuous visits to France. I think that territorial institutions and municipalities also play an important role in EU integration, in order for projects between countries to develop. We have called for cooperation within the framework of projects with countries that are joining the EU and we have chosen to work with the municipality of Korça because we have great geographical proximity, but also for the priorities of territorial development in culture and education. After several months of cooperation, we are currently working on a concrete project in Korça, for the French Culture Week, with performances, but also digital projects. Culture to be enriched needs to be developed, especially in today's times, a factor "Another important thing is innovative techniques," emphasized Repentin.

The French Culture Week brought to Korça a rich program of activities, musical and theatrical performances in the city's old bazaar, participation of artists from Chambery in the "Spirit of the Balkans" festival, as well as interactive digital exhibitions in the Digital Arts Gallery, a modern space that has become one of the most attractive points of Korça's cultural life.

Julien Cuny, a French artist from the Pil'z studio in Chambery, has shared the special emotions he is experiencing in the beautiful city of Korça.

"I'm here to present two very special projects. We come from Chambery and I represent the Pil'z studio. Here we made the videos on the wall, we used this fantastic room, with a lot of modern equipment that we don't actually have in Chambery. For us it's like a dream that we are working here, especially in Korça. For me it's a pleasure to be here, I love the food of Korça, very wonderful, even though I will gain a few kilos. The people are very friendly, I like that they are like that and you can talk to anyone freely. I also liked the old bazaar of Korça. For me it's a wonderful experience", said Cuny.

French Culture Week in Korça/ Support for EU integration and further

The Mayor of Korça, Mr. Sotiraq Filo, stated that this week is the culmination of a relationship that has been going on for a long time and is bearing fruit through concrete projects with long-term impact.

"It was a pleasure to welcome you to Korça within the framework of the French Culture Week and I would like to thank the French Ambassador, but also the Ministry of Culture for this organization that was carried out in our city. We have had very interesting activities that began with the participation of an artistic group from Chambery in our "Spirit of the Balkans" festival, to continue with the performances of French artists in the old bazaar of Korça, but also with very interesting productions displayed in the Digital Arts Gallery. Beyond the French Culture Week, I must say that the cooperation over the years between France and the city of Korça is at its best moment, with several very important projects for the future of the city, the main one being undoubtedly the opening of the French Lyceum in Korça, continuing with projects that support the development of tourism and other projects", said Filo.

The French Culture Week in Korça is not just a calendar of artistic events, but a testament to how culture, education and technology can create new bridges between countries and communities. It shows that international cooperation is not only high diplomacy, but also a concrete relationship that takes place at the local level between municipalities, educational institutions, artists and ordinary citizens. Korça, with its European spirit, proves once again that it is ready to be an active part of the Europe that we are building together./CNA