TIRANA, Oct 22 /ATA/ The Ambassador of the United States of America in Tirana, Yuri Kim, stated on Thursday that, “Skavica HPP, if completed, will be the biggest US contract in Albania.”
“Two weeks ago, Undersecretary of State Keith Krach was here to sign a historic Memorandum of Understanding. It is the first time that the United States and Albania have taken this step and not only that, but in the same room, Bechtel signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Albania to move ahead with the construction of the giant Skavica hydro power plant. “If completed, it will be the largest US contract implemented in Albania,” Kim said in a televised interview.
Regarding the changes to the Electoral Code, Kim said that, “the press release issued by the US Embassy was very clear, that the method by which the June 5 agreement was reached was a good way and it should set a benchmark for other agreements in the future. At the same time, we cannot deny the competence of parliament to pass the legislation.
Regarding the question whether June 5 was violated or not, different people have diverse opinions. My opinion is very clear about this. “What happened beyond June 5 goes beyond June 5, but I do not see it as a violation of June 5.”
As to Justice Reform, Kim said that she does not think it has come to a standstill.
“Four years and four months is a long time, but I must say that progress has been made. Four years and four months ago, the laws were drafted with the unanimous support of all parties, right? Since then, courts have been established, judges and prosecutors have been hired, judges and prosecutors have been subject to Vetting. In recent months, in recent weeks, the Constitutional Court is also moving forward. There are now candidates for the two vacancies. So I think it is wrong to say that it has come to a standstill. “
She said: “It is also true that we are at a critical moment. Those against justice reform are intensifying their efforts, and I think for us who support the reform, the United States, your European friends, the Albanian people included, it is time to carry on and push ahead with it.”
With regard to the Vetting process, Kim said, “The number of judges and prosecutors found to be corrupt was much higher than expected. So far, over 60% have left the system. I think the School of Magistrates is working hard to produce more judges and prosecutors. I also think that the judges and prosecutors who have passed vetting are already stepping up and doing more, I think we are moving forward. “Once again, it is not easy, it is not fast, it is not perfect, but we are moving forward.”
As to SPAK investigations, Kim stressed that, “for too long, the powerful people in Albania have worked in a climate of impunity. This time is coming to an end. It means that in recent months, we have seen SPAK declare act of indictments in high level cases. ”
Ambassador Kim said, “I believe in SPAK. American taxpayers have trust in SPAK. We have invested huge amounts of contributions to ensure that SPAK is up and running. There are people who will always be pessimistic about this project. Pessimism is easy, but I see the facts and what I see is that we have things in place like the National Bureau of Investigation which did not exist and now exists.”
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