Transcript of the Speech delivered by the Western Balkans Fund Executive Director, Dr. Gjergj Murra, at the Reception organised for the 7th Anniversary and the Awarding Ceremony of the ERC Grants, co-funded by the European Union (AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY)
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Ambassadors and Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Dear Ministers and MP-s
Dear heads of Independent Bodies
Dear friends, partners, representatives of civil society.
I am delighted to welcome you to this reception, which serves both to celebrate a special milestone for the Western Balkans Fund and to emphasize once more the benefits of wide-scale cooperation among us.
Over the years I have had the privilege of opening a handful of anniversaries and similar ceremonies for the Fund.
But we have never had so many friends in the room as we do today!
Thank you all, for making this day a special one with your presence!
Starting from an ambitious political design, our Fund today is a growing and sustainable, organization, constantly tracking its Strategic and organizational development path.
At the short introduction video just shown, some figures summarize our activity: like over 300 regional grants supported, over 1.000 partnerships created, over 20.000 beneficiaries.
But, a part of the figures, the best testament to our growth are not the simple number of grants, or the number of beneficiaries, nor the beautiful moments captured in pictures from many of our extraordinary projects.
The best testament to our growth are you, our friends, partners and supporters, becoming more numerous year by year.
Therefore, in this corner of the world, where friendship and solidarity are held in the highest regard, allow me to thank you all, and conveying some special appreciations:
First and foremost, to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the WB6 Region, the real owners and active supporters of our Fund, strongly backing the real vision behind this instrument of regional cooperation.
Dear representatives of MFA-s from Tirana, Belgrade, Sarajevo, Pristina, Podgorica and Skopje, thank you for coming tonight and thank you for all the assistance and political guidance provided, which has greatly contributed to the growth and sustainability of our Fund!
Secondly, our gratitude to the European Union, represented tonight by His Excellency Mr. Gonzato, for the valuable strategic partnership we have established, allowing us to have an even greater impact in the region.
Third to the Visegrad Fund and the V4 Group: Poland, Czech, Slovak, and Hungary for their continues support and encouragement from the day one. To our trusted partners: Swiss and Japanese governments, for their institutional support provided and the important causes we have come together.
Special thanks to the Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development, with which we have formed a new partnership during this year, and to all the others who support us, directly or indirectly, whenever they engage in creating new cooperations and new people-to-people links in the Region.
In this respect, let me also highly recognize the multi-national WBF staff. A group of young professionals, fully dedicated to the vision and mission of our Fund.
They are one of the most valuable resources of Western Balkans Fund, growing together with the organization, giving their best, but also getting in return a unique professional and living experience.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me conclude by underlining that in this seventh year, our goals and expectations are to grow further.
To forge new partnerships and friendships, to strengthen the old ones and to continue working even harder to further enhance the excellent results we have achieved.
There is a saying that courage belongs to the winners.
In all the grants distributed, in all the events organized, and in all those we have participated, we have met many winners!
We call them: Champions of regional cooperation!
Tonight, we will praise a bright group of them, coming from all over the region, ready to start the implementation of our new set of projects we are executing together with the European Union.
Hand in hand with our champions, we will continue investing in enhancing people-to-people links, reconciliation processes and good neighborly relations in our region.
We are doing it because we strongly believe in a region where collaboration rises above disagreement, togetherness triumphs over falling-out, acceptance leads over rejection!
And because we know, and we can never afford to forget, that the alternative of a region without these values, cannot be real.
Thanks again you for your participation and Thank you for your attention.
