President Erdoğan Attends Groundbreaking Ceremony of Tirana Namazgah Mosque

Attending the groundbreaking ceremony of Tirana Namazgah Mosque, which will be built by Türkiye Diyanet Foundation, President Erdoğan expressed that Rize and Tirana are the same in his heart and said: “For me, there is no difference between serving my Albanian brothers in Turkey and serving my Albanian brothers here. We will continue to work to preserve our common historical, human and cultural values with all our institutions.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Bujar Nishani of Albania attended the groundbreaking ceremony of Tirana Namazgah Mosque, which will be built by the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation.

In his speech at the ceremony, President Erdoğan expressed his wish that construction of the Tirana Namazgah Mosque may be completed rapidly and said: “I thank the Presidency of Religious Affairs, Mr. Prime Minister and the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation for their contributions to the construction of this mosque.” Noting that 5 thousand people will be able to pray at the same time at this mosque, President Erdoğan said: “I believe this mosque will be a unique symbol of the brotherhood between our nations.”

Voicing his belief that the coexistence museum, which will be built right next to the mosque, will reflect the rich social structure of Albania, President Erdoğan thanked President Nishani and Prime Minister Rama for their contributions and support to the mosque.

Noting that there were 35 grand viziers, who had Albanian roots, in the Ottoman Empire, President Erdoğan stated that Sedefkar Mehmet Ağa, the architect of the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, Mehmet Akif Ersoy, the author of the Turkish National Anthem, were also Albanian. President Erdoğan said: “Today, millions of Turkish citizens of Albanian origins work to contribute to Turkey in all fields from politics and commerce to sports and art. What I want to say is we have been together with our Albanian brothers for 600 years and we are marching towards the future together. We maintain this sincere and strong tie among our countries.”

President Erdoğan stated that they work to restore the historical monuments, which belong to their common history, through TIKA and other institutions.

Expressing that the restoration of the Nazire Mosque in Elbasan and the İlyas Bey İmrahorlu Mosque in Korçe have been completed, President Erdoğan said that the restoration of the Edhem Bey Mosque, one of the symbols of Tirana, will commence soon.

Stating that the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) have carried out 248 projects in Albania, President Erdoğan expressed that they will continue to stand by their Albanian brothers. President Erdoğan said: “As you know, we are struggling against a parallel state structure in Turkey. We officially accept this structure, which has become a threat to our state and nations, as a terrorist organization. We will continue our struggle against this organization all over the world. I know that this organization has some operations in our friend and brother Albania. I discussed this issue with my dear brother Nishani and Edi Rama. I believe they will do what is necessary. I believe none of my brothers in Albania will give way to or tolerate this organization and its members. Rest assured that Turkey can offer you much more than this organization can through TIKA, the Presidency of Religious Affairs and the Yunus Emre Institute.”

President Erdoğan expressed that Rize and Tirana are the same in his heart and said: “For me, there is no difference between serving my Albanian brothers in Turkey and serving my Albanian brothers here. We will continue to work to preserve our common historical, human and cultural values with all our institutions.”

Voicing his wish to perform Friday Prayer at this mosque during his next visit, President Erdoğan thanked those, who have contributed to the project, including the Presidency of Religious Affairs, the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation, architect Hilmi Şenalp and his team, Deputy Secretary General İbrahim Kalın of the Presidency and the Albanian government.