This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.
The National Museum of Mediaeval Art in Albania, located in
the city of Korcha, is the repository of some 6 500 Byzantine icons,
representing the vast majority of such icons in Albania, apart from
those on display in major museums.
This valuable collection is in need of protection and restoration
for which the small dedicated staff of the museum is scarcely equipped.
The value and needs of the collection were recognised by a
recent five-year collaboration with the Museum of Byzantine Culture
in Thessaloniki, a former winner of the Council of Europe Museum
Prize.
The museum in Korcha is now exposed to a proposed reorganisation
of cultural services which is liable to weaken further its ability
to care for the collection.
The Parliamentary Assembly calls on the Government of Albania
to ensure that adequate means will be made available for the Museum
of Mediaeval Art in Albania to repair, curate and display its collection
of Byzantine icons.
