Berat Town In Albania Keen To Learn From Melaka's Development - State Chief Minister

MELAKA (Malaysia), April 2 (Bernama) -- Berat in Albania is keen to learn from Melaka in developing the historical European town into a major tourist attraction, said Melaka Chief Minister Idris Haron. He said Berat had many historical sites which dated back from the 16th century during the Ottoman Empire, and was interested to learn from Melaka's tourism development without adversely affecting the historical sites. Idris said the Albanian town also offered the building of a commercial area to be known as Melaka Square there at a cost of US$1.19 million (RM3.92 million), to be borne by the Melaka government. "We are still at the discussion stage and our Berat counterparts are impressed with Melaka," he said at a press conference after meeting with Berat mayor Dr Fadil Nasufi and chairing a state executive council meeting, here, Wednesday. Berat, located in south-central Albania, is the capital of the District of Berat. With a population of over 70,000, Berat was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, just like Melaka City. Idris said Berat was also keen to learn from Melaka's expertise in managing the halal industry including the development of the Melaka Halal Hub in Jasin. "About 80 per cent of Albania's population are Muslims, hence the halal market has a big potential there...I will suggest to those interested to venture to Berat and other parts of the country to explore the halal business opportunities there," he added. -- BERNAMA