Albanian President Ilir Meta has published an article in the economic magazine Monitor, revealing how the government ignored four of the country’s prominent seismologists who offered the seismic chart.

“In 2013, four prominent seismologists, Prof. Dr. Eduard Sulstarova, Prof. Dr. Shyqyri Aliaj, Prof. Dr. Siasi Koçiu and Prof. Dr. Betim Muço, offered to the government a new seismic chart that accompanied their joint publication “Seismicity, seismotechnics and the probable estimation of the seismic danger in Albania”, Meta writes in the article.

“While presenting the study to the media, they appealed to the government to update the national construction standards with the new chart. Professor Aliaj said the government should make the new chart a normative condition for all the constructions. The new chart was supposed to replace the seismic chart from the ‘80s which is still standing, despite the two of the most powerful earthquakes of the last 40 years that hit the country in the last two months. The new chart is used today as a guide for many projectors and constructors, but it is not obligatory, because it’s not recognized by the law”.