Albania, 12-15 February 2026. Official visit of the IAO leadership to Albania. Meeting with the Speaker of the Parliament. Presentation of the Hagia Sophia Churches Volume in Tirana and Gjirokastra.
From 12 to 15 February 2026, the Secretary General of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO), member of the Hellenic Parliament, Dr. Maximos Charakopoulos, and the President of the IAO General Assembly, member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies, Mr. Ioan Vulpescu, paid an official visit to Albania. The IAO leadership was accompanied by the Chairman of the IAO Finance Committee, member of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Elias Myrianthus, and the Advisor to the Organization, Dr. Kostas Mygdalis.
Meeting with the Speaker of the Parliament
In Tirana, the IAO delegation had the opportunity to visit the seat of the Albanian Parliament and meet with the Speaker of the Parliament, Mr. Niko Peleshi.
In his address, the IAO Secretary General underlined that “Modern Albania is a pioneering experiment in the peaceful coexistence of different religious communities. And this is particularly important in our time, when nationalisms and revisionisms are threateningly returning to the fore. For this reason, we are fervent supporters of the accession of the Western Balkan states to the EU, after they have, of course, fully met the criteria and conditions that have been set for all candidate member states to date. A perspective that will strengthen peace, security and the rise in the living standards of the peoples of the region.”
He then noted that “we would like to see the rekindling of our relations with the Albanian parliament, which has a long presence within our Organization. After all, in your country the Orthodox tradition is strong and with deep roots that can be traced back to the early Christian and early Byzantine times and continue to this day, when we are happy to see a reborn Church flourishing.”
In his response, the Speaker of the Albanian Parliament emphasized, among other things, “we live in an era where Christian values are emerging more dynamically and more urgently, because there are conditions that very often create tensions and conflicts. An organization like this, which you have the honor to lead, honors politics, highlighting precisely these values and principles that we must maintain”. While he added, “many times, perhaps maliciously, there is the impression that our country does not belong to Christian civilization. We are a European country and in Europe Christian values are those that created the framework and are an integral part of our own reality”.
The meeting with the President of the Albanian Parliament was also attended by the members of the Albanian Parliament, Mr. Vangelis Doules (Vlora region), Vasilis Lagios (Vlora region), Ilir Pentavini (Kortsa region).
Meeting with the Archbishop of Albania
The IAO delegation also met with the Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, Mr. Ioannis, at the seat of the Archdiocese, where it received a warm welcome.
The head of the interparliamentary institution extended wishes to His Eminence: “ “with the Grace of God that you may walk happily on the spiritual path opened by your predecessor on the throne of the Archdiocese, as well as your spiritual father, Blessed Anastasios. We are certain that his choice of you, like every act in the life of this holy hierarch, a model of Ecumenical Orthodoxy and a genuine missionary, was conscious and correct. This guarantees the success of your pastorate in the Church of Albania. In all the previous decades, the Church of Albania was respected by all the citizens of the country and all political and religious figures, because it did not discriminate, but it itself respected every citizen of the country, regardless of religion, and even came to the aid of anyone who found themselves in need. Furthermore, he contributed, with the moderate speech of the blessed Anastasios, to the efforts of unity of the Orthodox Churches, in a particularly turbulent era. There is no doubt that the new foundations of the Church of Albania are so strong that its future is promising. And this cannot but fill us, the representatives of the international institution of Orthodox parliamentarians, with joy and optimism.”
For his part, Archbishop Ioannis, referring to the legacy of Anastasios, emphasized that “the bishop must be a man of vision. A well-organized local Orthodox church in Albania will be a blessing not only for Albania, but also for all its neighbors. Because the large presence of Christians will be taken into account in any political decisions. So far, we have a good relationship with both the Muslims and the Bektashis and with the Catholics and Evangelicals. We will continue to walk in the same spirit. Maybe we will not have the same possibilities and maybe not the same abilities, but we must have the same spirit. The gifts are different, the spirit must be the same.”
During its stay in Tirana, the delegation visited the Cathedral of the Resurrection and laid a wreath at the tomb of the late Archbishop of Albania, Anastasios, where a memorial service was held.
Presentation of the Hagia Sophia Churches Volume in Tirana
The presentation of the volume “Hagia Sophia: The Churches of the Wisdom of God around the World” took place at the Academy of Sciences of Albania.
In his keynote speech, the IAO Secretary General emphasized, “One of the principles that the blessed Anastasios applied during the years of his pastorate was that of respect for the Other, for the other point of view, the other religion. Something that was highlighted in the most deafening way during his funeral procession. We come to highlight this principle today with the presentation of this Volume with the 37 Hagia Sophia Churches located in a vast geographical area, from Scotland and the Atlantic Ocean to Manchuria in China and the Pacific. Our intention is to awaken the international community to what has happened to the most important, the most historic and the most beautiful of all these churches dedicated to the Wisdom of God. Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.” He then quoted the words of the late Anastasios, who in July 2020 said that this act is “a kind of cultural attack, cultural jihad. In recent years, all serious people, both Christians and Muslims, have condemned every form of holy war, jihad. There is an Islamic sensitivity until now that has respected the beauty of Hagia Sophia. However, uncritical fanaticism seeks to exploit, to steal the beauty of the most beautiful Temple of undivided Christianity. This decision belongs to the tragic decisions and actions that undermine the greatest hope and effort of our time. The peaceful coexistence of religions and cultures.” And Maximos Harakopoulos concluded by saying that “these wise words put the whole issue in its proper perspective, but also put all of us, especially those in positions of power, before our responsibilities, towards history, justice and truth.”
In addition to the IAO Secretary General, the President of the Academy of Sciences, Mr. Skender Giniusi, the Speaker of the Parliament of Albania, Mr. Nikos Pelesi, the Member of Parliament, Mr. Vangelis Doule, the Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and all Albania, Mr. Ioannis, the former Minister of Education and Science, Mr. Genc Pollo, and the Professor of Architecture at the Technical University of Tirana, Dr. Pyrros Thomos, also spoke about the Volume.
The Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and all Albania, Mr. Ioannis, in his speech pointed out that “this church was not only an architectural achievement, but also a symbol of the triumph of Christianity. The church, which during the persecutions was worshipped in the catacombs, now acquired its most magnificent roof. Its global influence transcended the boundaries of religions. Hagia Sophia also served as an architectural inspiration for many other religious buildings, Christian and non-Christian.”
The presentation was attended, among others, by the Vice President of the Democratic Party, Mr. Luçiano Boçi, the Socialist Party’s Tirana MP, Ms. Anila Denaj, the Primate of the Bektashi Community, Edmond Brahimaj, the Vice President of the Sunni Muslim Community of Albania, Bujar Spahiu, as well as representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and the Union of Protestant Churches of Albania.
The presentation was preceded by a meeting of the IAO delegation with the President of the Academy of Tirana, Mr. Skënder Gjinushi. The head of the international institution, during his address, thanked the President of the Albanian Academy for jointly organizing the presentation of the volume in the Albanian capital, while informing him that the volume in question has been awarded by the Academy of Athens.
Presentation of the Hagia Sophia Churches in Gjirokastra
In Gjirokastra, the presentation of the Volume on Hagia Sophia Churches took place at the “Breath of Love” educational institutions after the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Resurrection celebrated by the Metropolitan of Gjirokastra, Mr. Nathanael. The event was coordinated by the Director of the “Breath of Love” educational institutions, Mr. Stefanos Kotis.
The head of the IAO in his speech emphasized, “Albania and areas such as Gjirokastra, Saranda, Korçë, show us something else. The inseparable relationship that man maintains with his traditions and his religious faith. Because, what else does the fact that the decades of the most oppressive and totalitarian atheist policy in Europe have failed miserably reveal to us? With the fall of the regime, founded by a man who came from this very city, on the ruins of the destroyed churches and monasteries, new ones blossomed. In addition, the cross, once again, emerged as the trophy winner. Moreover, this happened for two main reasons. One is because you, your parents, your grandparents, preserved your beliefs within you. Fear, repression, imprisonments and exiles have not succeeded in exterminating them. Because no regime and no mechanism can displace the truth from the human soul if the human being does not wish it to.”
In addition to the IAO Secretary General, the President of the IAO General Assembly, the journalist and researcher Mr. Orfeas Betsis, the President of the Union of Orthodox Christians of Albania, Professor at the Technical University of Tirana, Dr. Adrianos Natsios, and the IAO advisor dr. Kostas Mygdalis spoke about the Volume.
The presentation was attended, among others, by the Metropolitan of Gjirokastra, Mr. Nathanael, the Member of the Albanian Parliament, Mr. Vangelis Doule, the Consul General of Greece in Gjirokastra, Mr. Sokratis Sourvinos, the Head of FRONTEX, Mr. Dimitrios Plakias and the President of Omonia, Mr. Vasilis Kagios.
