For me, it is really a sign of hope for Albania’s future that there are so many of you here today to talk with colleagues from law enforcement about the role of law enforcement in your community. On the ride down to Vlore this morning, I was speaking with one of my colleagues from the embassy and the topic of our discussion, one of the primary topics was: how we could help Albania build a real culture of integrity and a culture where rule of law is at the center of life, not just in universities, not just in police offices, but part of what we do each day. Because it’s the daily decisions that you make that builds this culture,” VanHorn said.

Yesterday I was meeting with a very senior official in your government, and she shared that five years ago when she would meet with her counterparts from other countries, they had a perception of Albania that was really unfair, and I think very, very unfavorable about, crime, about narcotics, and how that has changed. And that change is because of you. I think that change is also because of very brave people working in law enforcement, in courts, in government that are now really creating these standards of integrity and transparency.
And that’s why I think that we are really fortunate today to be able to hear from people working in leading the Police Oversight Agency. As I’m sure you know, this is the agency here in Albania in the Ministry of Interior, that has the power to inspect and investigate corruption standards, misconduct by police, firefighters and Republican guards. And their work is critical to Albania’s progress towards EU accession and bringing it in line with European standards. But this is where you come in because it’s your future at stake. The Police Oversight Agency can’t do this alone and it’s where you come in. And I think today we’re going to hear about some ways that you can contribute to their work.
Justice reform is everybody’s job. This is – this is not just SPAK. I encourage you to think about how you can fit into this picture and what you can do. And the United States is standing with you on this journey.
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