KAMZA, ALBANIA—Today, the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Water Administration, Edmond Panariti, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia, Bojan Bertoncelj, and the U.S. Embassy’s Chargé d'Affaires, Henry Jardine, delivered remarks at the Agriculture University of Tirana (AUT) to celebrate the launch of a joint Slovene-U.S project to construct a Vocational Education and Training Center for Albanian students. USAID, Slovenia’s Center for International Cooperation and Development, and AUT are implementing the project and signed a partnership agreement at the event.

The Center, scheduled to open in summer 2016, will be housed in a newly constructed building on the premises of AUT. It will be fully equipped to provide practical, market-focus training and laboratory services for veterinarians, and have the capacity to conduct quality and food safety analysis. The Center will be an important contributor to increase excellence and foster employment in Albania’s agriculture sector and in the future in South Eastern Europe.