Ahead of the handover of illegally exported Macedonian icons from Albania, Culture Ministers Bisera Kostadinovska-Stojchevska and Elva Margariti met. Macedonia’s Minister highlighted close cooperation’s impact on curbing artifact trade. They discussed cultural issues, focusing on safeguarding the Ohrid Region based on UNESCO suggestions. Stressing regional cooperation and goodwill, Kostadinovska-Stojchevska mentioned their joint efforts in multiculturalism. The Minister also visited the Macedonian Cultural and Information Center in Tirana before receiving 20 icons back as part of a collaboration agreement between Albania and Macedonia. This retrieval follows an investigation in 2013 where Albania seized over a thousand icons, some identified as stolen from Macedonian churches.