President Milanović Visits Elementary School in Tirana whose IT Equipment Was Funded by Croatia

On the second day of his State visit to Albania, the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović visited “Ahmet Zogu” Elementary School in the municipality of Kamëz in Tirana County, where he visited the historical city of Berat in the company of the President of the Republic of Albania Bajram Begaj.

In Berat, the mayor of Berat Ervin Demeo presented President Milanović with the honorary title of “Patron of the Castle” in the premises of Onufri National Museum located inside the walls of Berat.

“You are always welcome to propose or initiate ideas to cooperate on projects aimed at protecting and preserving the treasures of our old town. It is indeed an honour and a pleasure to call you and Croatia our friends”, the mayor of Berat stated on conferring the title on President Milanović, who thanked him for the honour saying he will always cherish this moment.

‘’Patron of the Castle ‘’ is an exclusive title conferred on highest personalities, such as presidents and prime ministers, who are visiting the town thereby honouring them as Protectors of the historic 2500 year-old Castle. The old town of Berat is one of the most beautiful, largest and important monuments of Albanian history and culture, and has been included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Prior to his visit to Berat, President Milanović visited “Ahmet Zogu” Elementary School in the Municipality of Kamëz in Tirana County whose IT equipment for the classrooms was funded by the Republic of Croatia in the scope of the “Croatia Education Recovery Support” (CERS) project, in conjunction with UNDP Albania. The “Croatia Education Recovery Support” (CERS) project was launched to facilitate the recovery of the education sector in Albania in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake of November 2019.

This project is aimed at providing support to citizens in the affected municipalities with a focus on improving education institutions in the aftermath of the earthquake. It is implemented by UNDP Albania, in conjunction with the Albanian government. The project was part of the financial commitment of the Croatian government during the International Donors’ Conference organized in Brussels in February 2020. In cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Sports of Albania, CERS also helped equip 9 computer laboratories in a number of education facilities including the municipality of Kamëz and its nine-grade “Ahmet Zogu” Elementary School.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Marko Beljan