*Good evening Speaker Ruci, Minister Gjonaj, Minister Shahini, distinguished guests and graduates. I am honored to be with you tonight. On behalf of the United States Government, I congratulate all of today’s graduates. There is an American graduation tradition I’m sure you know very well. In my hand I’m holding a tassel. Tassels like this …
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Good Morning Deputy Minister Kuko, Chairman Spahiu, religious leaders, distinguished guests. It is my honor to be here with you today. Allow me to begin by expressing my enthusiasm for the inauguration of the AIC’s community building program. Together we launched this project in 2015 to thwart extremist groups and protect Albania’s democracy. Because of …
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Good morning Minister Lleshaj, Minister Manastirliu, Deputy Minister Voda, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. I am honored to speak to all of you who are devoted to the great cause of ending human trafficking. It goes without saying that human traffickers are clever. They adapt. They try to stay one step ahead of justice. But even …
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Good morning, Strengthening NGOs is a top priority for the U.S. Embassy in Albania. We know that by empowering you, you will hold government and business accountable. We have already begun to see good result from our NGO empowerment projects. We want to see more. Whether it’s keeping the government accountable, fighting corruption, supporting the key …
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Dear Prime Minister Rama, Ambassador Shannon, Ambassador Soreca, and Ambassador Zuzul, Mr. Serwer and Professor Dr. Angjeli, it is truly an honor to take part in this conference. I am sitting next to a giant of U.S. diplomacy and it is a big honor for me today to be sitting next to my former Under …
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Good Morning. I am delighted to see so many people here today who have embraced the spirit of volunteerism, activism, and civic responsibility. I am also glad to see so many organizations represented at the second annual National Advocacy Day. Strengthening Albania’s democracy is one of the U.S. government’s highest priorities in Albania. The U.S. …
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Good morning Mrs. Gjini, Chairman Granoff, Junior Achievement Albania Director Bala, rectors, and students. It is a pleasure to be here today to launch the National Debating Economics Program, supported by the U.S. Embassy through our Democracy Commission. The Debating Economics program aims to help build an active and informed public by educating students in …
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* Chairman of the Trustees Mr Granoff, Trustees of the Albanian-American Development Foundation, and Honorable Guests: On behalf of the United States Mission to Albania and the U.S. Government, I am privileged to attend this celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Albanian-American Development Foundation. Happy anniversary! Of course tonight we are applauding the great …
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Good evening. I am delighted to be here with you tonight on the eve of the International Day of the Girl, which we celebrate on October 11th each year. In 2012, the United Nations established this day to highlight the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment around the world. The theme this year …
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Minister Manastirliu, Deputy Mayor Ruseti, Ambassador Soreca, Director Godaj, and all of you here this evening. Thank you for the invitation to be part of this event today. I am proud to say that this is the eleventh year in which the U.S. Embassy has supported the Breast Cancer Walk. This effort is a great …
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Distinguished Deputy Prime Minister Brace, members of cabinet, members of Parliament, dear mayors, dear deputy ministers, members of the donor community, and distinguished guests. Allow me to take a moment to express the United States’ solidarity with the Albanian people in the wake of last weekend’s earthquake. It has been an unsettling past several days, …
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Good morning. ASP Director Veliu, Director Nano, thank you for inviting me here today to participate in the final Antiterrorism Assistance Training Course of the year. Congratulations to all of today’s graduates! During the past year, you have deepened your knowledge of investigations and, with the assistance of the American trainers and mentors, have used …
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High Judicial Council Chair Llagami, Director Sadushi, School of Magistrates Faculty, distinguished guests and chancellors, thank you all for being with us today at this important event. Today we are here to recognize another step forward towards implementing judicial reform in Albania: the successful completion of the Summer Court Administration Program*. Reform of Albania’s judiciary …
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Minister Xhaçka, General Kollçaku, distinguished guests. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. I could easily fill my time today listing all the line items of donations and cooperation among our defense establishments. Believe me, the list is long. It includes armored vehicles for your Light Infantry Battalion Group, a Cyber Response …
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Minister Gjonaj, distinguished guests, It is a pleasure to be here today to mark the 3rd anniversary of the passing of Justice Reform and the inauguration of this building that will house the High Prosecutorial Council, the High Judicial Council, and the School of Magistrates. July 21, 2016 began with expectations of a morning vote …
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President Meta, Speaker Ruçi, Ministers and Members of the Parliament, Representatives of the Diplomatic Corps, guests: It is an honor and a privilege for me, along with all our Embassy colleagues, to be joined this evening by our close friends and partners to celebrate 243 years of American independence and freedom. A warm welcome to …
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AmCham members, friends, and colleagues: Good afternoon. I’m honored to be here today, thank you for inviting me. I’d like to start by welcoming AmCham’s new president of the Board of Directors, Enio Jaco, and new executive director, Ilir Trimi. Welcome Enio and Ilir; I look forward to working with you. Two hundred and forty-three …
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Minister Xhacka, General Shehu, Distinguished Guests, First, I want to begin by noting the incredibly strong friendship and bilateral working relationship between our two countries; and I look forward to further strengthening those ties as we continue to cooperate and move forward together on shared security goals. It is an honor to be with you …
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Good morning and thank you all for being here. You have all had a year full of hard work and learning. My hope for you is that you’ve been able to learn and grow, to deepen your dedication to your important profession, and to publish your first investigative stories. What you do is important work. …
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It is a pleasure to be here with all of you dedicated journalists from across the region. I would especially like to acknowledge our keynote speakers. They have travelled great distances to share lessons learned from their titanic efforts working to forge a free and fact-based media, which we all know is an essential foundation …
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Good evening Chairman Spahiu, Baba Mondi, Chairwoman Aliko, Rector Gjana, teachers and students. Thank you for coming to our Iftar — we are so privileged to share it with you. Tonight is part of a rich tradition of celebrating the role of faith in our lives, and a reminder that Ramadan has a long tradition …
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President Meta, Minister Xhaçka, honorable ambassadors, and distinguished guests, friends and colleagues. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you on a topic we all hold dear: security challenges in the Balkans during the Euro-Atlantic transition. I will spend my brief minutes with you this morning discussing two of these security challenges: external threats …
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Honorable Deputy Speaker Hysi, Deputy Minister Treni, Coordinator Sojati, Mr. Hroni, distinguished guests. It is my honor to be here with you today. Allow me to begin today by congratulating not only IDM for the conclusion of the successful pilot, “Schools as Community Centers,” but also to all those who helped ensure the program’s success. …
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Good morning. First, I would like to thank Chief Prosecutor Elizabeta Imeraj, Mr. Maasen, Mr. Mandoi, Ms. Jansen, Ms. Mehmeti and all of you. It is a true honor for me to be here with you today. I am very grateful to the Tirana Prosecution Office for organizing today’s event. You have probably heard time …
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Thank you to the University of Tirana’s Journalism Department for having us today. Today is a very important day around the world and specifically for you, as journalism students. It marks World Press Freedom Day. On this day, we celebrate the fundamental principles that are at the core of democracy and at the core of …
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Honorable Guests, Coordinator Sojati, distinguished guests, it is my honor to be here with you today. Let me begin by congratulating the Albanian government, in the form of the National Countering Violent Extremism Center led by Agron Sojati. The Albanian government is a regional leader in countering and preventing violent extremism. The U.S. Embassy is …
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Good Morning Director Veliu, ladies and gentlemen Before I turn to the topic of the conference, I would like to say a few words about Albania’s State Police. I want to recognize all the efforts that the ASP has made over the past year. You have shown professionalism and courage in your duties to protect …
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Madame Minister, Ambassador Soreca, members of parliament, Ms. Godaj, distinguished guests. Thank you all for the invitation to be part of this event today. Empowering women and girls is among the main priorities of the U.S. Government. And, our U.S. National Security Strategy highlights the fact that investing in women helps nations achieve greater peace …
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AmCham Chairman Crawford, Board Members, Deputy Minister Haxhi, AmCham Members, Friends, and Colleagues: Good evening. It’s an honor to be here tonight. I’d like to start by bidding farewell to Mark Crawford, the Chamber’s outgoing chairman, and Enida Bezhani, AmCham’s former executive director. On behalf of the United States Embassy, allow me to extend my …
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Good afternoon. First, I would like to extend my thanks to Rector Gjana for inviting me to speak with you all today. My message today is this: speak the truth. When asked to come today, I was asked to address freedom of the press, the relationship between media and politics and challenges faced by Albanian …
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(In Albanian) Dear Peace Corps trainees, Peace Corps employees, and host families, Good morning. I would like to start by thanking the host families for welcoming Peace Corps trainees into your homes. Soon, these trainees will take an oath in which they will promise to share American culture with an open heart and open mind, but …
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Minister Xhacka, General Kollcaku, General Mullai, members of the Albanian Armed Forces (AAF), and distinguished guests. Thank you for allowing me the privilege to be here with you today. It is an honor to partake in this commemorative ceremony. A ceremony that exemplifies the United States Governments commitment to stronger ties with Albania, and is …
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Minister Lleshaj, General Director Veliu, distinguished members of the Albanian State Police, members of the U.S. Embassy Tirana and friends, (In Albanian) I appreciate this opportunity to mark this significant milestone in the modernization of the Albanian State Police. I am proud to celebrate the continued success of the close partnership between the Albanian State …
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Deputy Prime Minister, Agency Representatives, Mayors, distinguished guests, Pershendetje! Thank you for the opportunity to be here today. The work you are doing is building the promise for a better and brighter future in Albania, for all Albanians. The United States is proud to contribute to that effort. Together, we are laying the foundation for …
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Good morning everyone, dear Deputies, dear Ministers, dear distinguished members of the diplomatic corps and other distinguished guests, friends and colleagues. As I begin these remarks, I want to take you back to April 4, 1949, the day the United States formally tied its safety and security to that of Europe for the first time. …
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Dear Minister Lleshaj, Director of Police Veliu, Ambassador Soreca, distinguished guests and participants; I would like to start today by thanking Minister Lleshi for the invitation to speak today on this very important topic. The war on illicit drugs is not just a campaign – it is a cause for democracy. It is a show …
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Good morning and thank you to OSHEE CEO, Mr. Adrian Cela. I am honored to be here for this MoU signing and to mark the newest stage of partnership between our two governments. Not long ago, Albania faced a real energy crisis. Power outages, high import prices, and energy losses estimated as high as 45 …
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Prosecutor General Marku, Minister Gjonaj, Ambassador Soreca, honorable diplomats, Chief prosecutors and prosecutors, Over two years ago this country made a commitment to its people and to its international partners to dramatically improve the justice system. Early in the morning of July 22, 2016, the parliament unanimously passed the necessary constitutional changes and, thus, promised …
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People’s Advocate Ballanca, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. This past summer, several of my Embassy colleagues attended a ceremony at the site of the former communist labor camp in Tepelena. They gathered there with many others, including several of you here today, to honor the former inmates of that camp. During that ceremony, President Meta …
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Prosecutor General Marku, students and faculty of the School of Magistrates, In December 1999, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 54/134, proclaiming November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This day is the official start of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, a yearly campaign where we …
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Minister Gjonaj, colleagues of the Diplomatic Corps, distinguished guests, graduates, It is my honor to be with you today. On behalf of the United States Government, I congratulate all of today’s graduates on your outstanding achievement. I wish you all great success. I hope to be brief, so please allow me to share three messages with …
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Honorable Mr. Dedja, Mr. Sadushi, Mr. Zaganjori, colleague Ambassadors, Commissioner Jourova, dear magistrates, good morning! Thank you for having me here today. It is an honor to be with you on this special occasion to mark your graduation from the School of Magistrates. [Now I will continue in English.] Honest. Courageous. Patriotic. These are the words the U.S. government has used to describe the …
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Minister Xhafaj, Director General Veliu, ambassadorial colleagues, Eight months ago, we met to hear Minister Xhafaj declare war on organized crime. At that time, we pledged our resources to support going after the big fish criminals. A lot has happened in eight months, but a lot more remains to be done. First, this government has …
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MS NAUERT: Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the State Department. Thank you for coming in so early this morning for the unveiling of the International Religious Freedom Report . I’d like to first introduce Secretary Pompeo, who will give some brief remarks and an announcement. And then Ambassador Sam Brownback, who is our global ambassador for religious freedom, will …
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Remarks as prepared for delivery It’s a real pleasure to be here in Croatia. I want to thank Minister Božinović for hosting me. We met in Washington DC in January and I am glad we had the chance to meet again this time in Croatia. Thank you for the invitation to visit your beautiful country. …
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Deputy Prime Minister Mesi, Mrs. Hoxha, ladies and gentlemen, Two years ago, I said at another Partners Albania conference: Civil society in Albania is strong and dynamic. Civil society is largely led by women and young people with energy, enthusiasm and optimism. And civil society can play an important watchdog role against corruption. When I …
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Deputy Minister Mrs. Rovena Voda, Anti-Trafficking Coordinators from Montenegro and Macedonia, Terre des Hommes colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen, Some of the most emotional moments I have experienced in Albania have been during my visits to the amazing NGO trafficking shelters here in Albania. I have met young girls, some just 14-years old, who have already …
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Minister Ahmetaj, Minister Nikolla, Amb. Ndisi, Mr. Ilirjani, Director Micko, Ms. Laçi, dear graduates, One of my first jobs was as a baker. It was my first year in university and I woke up every day at five in the morning and learned to bake bread, cookies, pies and cakes. It was a great job …
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Minister Xhaçka, Director Premçi, brave men and women of the Albanian Armed Forces, Good afternoon. I come with a simple message from your American allies — We believe in the heroism of Albanian soldiers, sailors and airmen. We have seen this heroism in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Bosnia, in Mali and in Latvia. We have …
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Rector Gjana, Professor Hajderi, Rector Teliti, religious leaders, professors, dear students, Good morning. I am joining you today to say bravo to you about your work on promoting religious tolerance. So I will begin with some comments about religious tolerance in my life and here in Albania. Then I want to talk about Holocaust Remembrance …
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SECRETARY TILLERSON: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Well, good morning. And I really, really appreciate this opportunity to swing down to Stanford while I was out on the West Coast and particularly to address this group. And I want to thank Stanford and the Hoover Institution and the international studies group for allowing …
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I nderuar Kryetar i Kuvendit të Shqipërisë zoti Ruçi, e nderuar nënkryetare e Kuvendit zonja Hysi, të nderuara Deputete, të nderuar Ambasadorë, mirëmëngjes. Unë jam Carson Relitz Rocker nga Ambasada Amerikane dhe është një kënaqësi e madhe që ndodhem këtu mes jush! Ndihem e nderuar që marr pjesë në konstituimin e Aleancës së Grave Deputete. …
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Minister Gjiknuri, Minister Ahmetaj, colleagues, My colleagues dared me to start today’s workshop with an energy joke. Here goes: Why did the gardener plant a light bulb? He thought he would get a power plant! Albania has been pulling energy from the ground for more than 100 years. Crude oil was first discovered at Patos …
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Minister Xhafaj, Director General Cako, ambassadorial colleagues, In America, we have an expression, if you really believe in something – if you really support it – we have an expression in English “put your money where your mouth is” or in the Albanian language “veprat flasin më shumë se fjalët.” My colleagues from ICITAP police …
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Good morning. It is a pleasure to back in Berat. This is the second of many meetings that we are having with young people in towns across Albania. When I was asked where I might want to speak to young people, my first answer was Berat – which is probably my favorite town in Albania …
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Minister Xhacka, General Kollcaku, General Cahani, brave members of the Albanian Forces, Albanian soldiers and sailors are true heroes. This has never been more clear than this week when Albanian sailors on the navy ship the Oriku saved the lives of 100 Syrian refugees, including 39 children. The Oriku has been serving in a NATO …
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Dear students, dear Youth Council members, good morning! I want to commend the remarkable work you have done to fight corruption in the education system. But first, let me say two words about the current controversy surrounding former Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri. All of you are watching history being made in this country. What you …
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Honorable former President Moisiu, Chairman Zaganjori, Minister Gjonaj, Minister Xhafaj, Mr. Sadushi, fellow ambassadors, ladies and gentlemen, Good morning! Today, I see two groups in this room. The first group is on the stage, they are some foreigners and some, with due respect, some seniors with a lot of experience in the justice system. To …
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* as prepared for delivery Mr. Kola, Mr. Kacorri, Mrs. Reci, dear students, Good morning. This is my first visit to Rrëshen and I love it here. This is also our first of many meetings with young people in towns across Albania. We have a message for you, but we also hope to learn something …
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SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, good evening, all. I want to begin, first, by extending our condolences to all those who have suffered, continue to suffer, from the devastation from the natural disasters that we are witnessing around the Western Hemisphere. Obviously, this succession of massive hurricanes in the Caribbean are really testing, I think, the will and …
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THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you all. Prime Minister Markovic, Prime Minister Zaev, Prime Minister Brnabic, Prime Minister Cerar, Prime Minister Plenkovic, Prime Minister Rama, , President Thaci, Minister Zvizdic, distinguished guests, it is my great honor to join you today to celebrate the progress of the Western Balkans here at this historic Adriatic Charter …
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Good morning, Secretary General and my fellow ministers, and thank you for the opportunity to speak. Let me be very clear at the outset of my remarks: the U.S. commitment to NATO is strong and this Alliance remains the bedrock for transatlantic security. This Alliance was forged from the ashes of World War II, and …
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Minister Ekonomi, AmCham President Crawford, AmCham members, dear friends and colleagues, When I arrived two years ago, one of the first events that I participated in was the AmCham General Assembly meeting where we said farewell to Floreta Faber and welcomed Lorenc Gjoni. Times have changed. Ministers have come and gone. Floreta is in Washington …
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SECRETARY GENERAL STOLTENBERG: (In progress) took office, and just a few days after your great speech in Munich where you so clearly declared the strong commitment and the unwavering support of the United States to the transatlantic bond. And we welcome that because we see the strong commitment of the United States to the transatlantic …
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Ambassador Vlahutin, Ambassador Borshardt, Ambassador Graf, Mr. Gogo, Ms. Meta, Ms. Prifti, Ladies and Gentlemen, If we, civil society, international partners, and the media, are not eagle-eyed, corrupt politicians, judges, prosecutors and criminal bosses will try to steal this election, judicial reform and everything else in this economy. These people are particularly afraid of domestic …
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On February 2, 2017, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson delivered remarks to employees in the main lobby of the U.S. Department of State’s Harry S. Truman Building during his first visit to the Department following his confirmation and swearing-in. You can read Secretary Tillerson’s full remarks below and watch them here : Well, good morning, …
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Deputy Minister Gjebrea, Dr. Nikolla, Mr. D’Silva, members of civil society – especially our friends and partners at Catholic Relief Services and Caritas. The fight against human trafficking is one of the United States’ highest priorities. It is an affront to our core values, it is a crime of heinous proportions, and it violates our …
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Honorable Speaker Meta, Ministrja Felaj, Diplomatic colleagues, Dr. Totozani, ladies and gentlemen, Over the past five years, we have fought many battles for human rights alongside the Office of the Advocate of the People. Most of those battles we have lost because governments from the right and the left have not listened to the Advocate …
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Hello everyone, I’ll would like to tell you a secret. If I had not joined the government, I would definitely have been an NGO person. After finishing two years in the Peace Corps and graduate school, I applied to several NGOs to do development work but the only job offer I received was from the …
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The Honorable President Bujar Nishani, ladies and gentlemen, In the three days of this conference you have heard how corruption has been fought in Romania, Croatia and the United States. In each of these cases, it was not fought by foreigners, but instead it was fought by courageous prosecutors, policemen, journalists and judges from those …
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THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much! (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you so much, everybody. Thank you. Everybody, please have a seat. Have a seat. Well, thank you so much. Good afternoon, everybody. I was just told that was going to be the last “Hail to the Chief” on the road, and it got me kind …
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“Eyes to the Future: Breaking the Corruption Barrier” Anti-Corruption Symposium Tirana, Albania The honorable Prime Minister Rama, diplomatic colleagues, judges, prosecutors, policemen, students and professors, There is a famous case of corruption in the United States that was uncovered in 2008. It involved two judges who received bribes totaling more than $2.6 million from …
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Minister Klosi, Dean Duka, Director Leskaj, Director Lurasi, Director Arqimandriti, talented video journalist Rusi, dear students and professors, Domestic violence is not something that happens to other people. It is something that happens all around us. Take a moment now. Look to your right, then to your left. Around the world, at least one in …
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Deputy Minister Gjebrea, Mayor Dr. Leli, Prefect Hoxha, Rector Zisi, Vatra Executive Director Puka, dear students and professors, I have had the opportunity to visit the three NGO shelters in Albania that support victims of trafficking, in Elbasan, in Tirana and here in Vlora. One of my most powerful memories of my time in Albania …
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Honorable President Nishani, members of parliament, young friends, ladies and gentlemen. Let me start this morning by offering our thoughts and our prayers for the victims of this terrible flooding that has been happening in Albania these past days. And, let me continue with a confession. I have several different versions of the speech today. …
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Mayor Ademi, Mrs. Godaj, courageous breast cancer survivors, ladies and gentlemen, Shkodra is the perfect place for this Breast Cancer Walk because Shkodranet (female) are some of the bravest people on the planet. My family includes a breast cancer survivor and I know that it takes courage, both from the women and the men in …
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Countering Violent Extremism requires creative solutions and cooperative effort around the globe. In this regard, Albania has a very unique story to tell. Albania is rightly renowned for its religious tolerance and its culture of hospitality. Historically Albania has a tradition of protecting vulnerable groups. Albanians have accepted refugees and those fleeing conflict and persecution …
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