TAP Shares Cultural Heritage Best Practice
TAP shared its expertise and standards in the field of cultural heritage during a workshop organised on 14 December 2016 by the Archaeological Service Agency and the University of Tirana.
TAP shared its expertise and standards in the field of cultural heritage during a workshop organised on 14 December 2016 by the Archaeological Service Agency and the University of Tirana. Titled “Preventive Archaeology in Relation to the Important Development in the Territory - The Balance Between Them,” the event raised awareness around making cultural heritage an integral part of large infrastructure projects.
Neil Fairburn, TAP Senior Cultural Heritage Advisor, and Lorenc Bejko, TAP Cultural Heritage Expert for Albania, presented TAP’s experience in constructing the pipeline project without affecting neighbouring communities and mitigating the effect on the cultural heritage.
The Minister of Culture Mirela Kumbaro Furxhi said: “TAP is an example of what is possible to realise in Albania. The construction of this project is implemented without creating disturbances to our cultural heritage. Everything works better when it is transparent, has a vision and combines public and private interests.”
Neil Fairburn, TAP Senior Cultural Heritage Advisor, added: “During TAP’s construction, which started more than a year and half a year ago, we’re observing and undertaking the work to international and European standards across Albania, Greece and Italy to ensure cultural heritage is protected and chance finds are identified. TAP has set up a team of 30 archaeology experts in Albania who have conducted studies along the entire pipeline route, before initiating any monitoring of the construction works. Along the entire corridor, we have engaged about 400 cultural heritage experts who undertake all works in accordance with a cultural heritage management plan.”
Workshop participants discussed existing practises for protecting cultural heritage as well as ways for various stakeholders to cooperate better. In addition to the representatives of Albanian institutions, many students from the University of Tirana, Faculty of History and Philology, Department of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage also took part in this event.