The presidency of the Albanian Academy of Sciences congratulated professor Rexhep Meidani on his birthday.

Professor Rexhep Mediani is a member of the Academy of Sciences of Albania, a member of the Assembly and one of the supporters of its reformation. He was elected chairman of board of the National Institute of Physics, which was founded this year in Albanian Academy of Sciences.

Rexhep Meidani was born on August 17, 1944. “His birthday is a special moment to publicly thank him for his contributions and achievements in his life,” says in the wish of the Albanian Academy of Sciences.

Professor Rexhep Mediani performed his high office as president of the Republic of Albania in the difficult transition years 1997-2002.

In his professional life as a physicist, he has earned all scientific degrees and academic titles and belongs to that group of Western-educated exact science experts who demonstrated competitive quality in that environment at a time when the country was closed and did not recognize competition as a driving factor of society.

Professor Rexhep Meidani completed high school and higher studies at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the University of Tirana in 1966 and subsequently appointed lecturer in the Chair of Physics at Tirana State University.

He completed his postgraduate studies in France, at the University of Cannes and at the “Paris XI” University, where he also completed his third-cycle doctorate in solid-state physics during 1973-1976, while in Albania he prepared a second doctorate for the degree of PhD. He continued his teaching and research activities at the Tirana State University.

As a lecturer, head of department (1986-1990, 1992-1996) and dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences (1988-1992), he helped in the development of the teaching process and scientific activity, especially in the field of theoretical physics (quantum mechanics, static physics, solid state physics, etc.).

With the change of the political system in Albania in 1990, Rexhep Meidani became active in political and social life and helped in the democratic processes that started in the country.

In December 1990, he was appointed chairperson of the Central Election Commission of the first pluralist elections. In the elections of June 1997, he was elected a member of parliament and in July of that year was elected President of the Republic of Albania, a mandate he held until 2002.

During the years 1986-1990 he was a member of the Committee for Balkan Understanding and during the years 1994-1996, Chairman of the Board of the Albanian Center for Human Rights.

Rexhep Meidani was elected a member of the Academy of Sciences of Albania (2003) and an external member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of North Macedonia (2015) and holds the title “doctor honoris causa” awarded the universities of Istanbul, Thessaloniki, Sofia, Rome, Brixport (USA), Portsmouth (UK), New York University of Tirana etc. He is a member and honorary member of various institutions and organizations, in the country and abroad, among which are the Club of Madrid (Club of Madrid, Madrid, 2003); ICDC (Prague, 2005); ICD (Berlin, 2011); NGIC (Baku, 2014); Bibliotheka Alexandrina (Egypt, 2015), etc.

Rexhep Meidani has been awarded with the “Republic Award”, the “Naim Frashëri” Order, and many orders and medals by foreign countries institutions.

/a.p./