The Albanian Culture Ministry plan to lease cultural monuments for up to 20 years has sparked a fierce debate about possible damage to historic sites. “This decision has worried experts who fear that historic monuments could end up damaged and stripped of their identity”, Balkans Insights reports.
![](https://www.frh-europe.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/640x480-Petrela-Castle-.jpg)
Petrela castle in the outskirts of Tirana turned into a restaurant
According to the experts, Albania is not ready for it. “Religious communities have a right to ask to administer them.
Auron Tare, an expert on heritage and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of UNESCO said: “I would prefer these objects to be given back to religious communities before passing them over to private management”.
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