Later on that day Jim was introduced to fine Albanian seafood dining in Durres.  A rather excited Italian fire fighting force showed up to get their pictures taken with Jim.

September 15th, 2008, marked the completion of verification drilling at the Bitinçkë licensed area (Kokogllave). Three diamond drill holes were drilled, duplicating three of the historic diamond drill holes within the licensed area. The first definition diamond drill hole has now been started at Kokogllave.

To drill the verification holes, Balkan Resources established a water well within the town of Bilishte. This well will be used for the definition drilling planned at the Bitinçkë licensed area, and then will be donated to the town of Bilishte to aid them in their water management.

Qualitative analysis of the three verification holes has yielded positive results. The nickel silicate mineralized horizon and the iron-nickel mineralized horizon occur where expected, and as described in the historical diamond drilling. As well, the rock units and controlling faults are seen in the new holes to occur as described in historical information. Assay results are pending, and are expected to quantitatively confirm historical interpretations.

GBM has been retained by Balkan Resources to conduct a “Desktop Study” of the Bitinçkë licensed area. This study will use the historic mineral resource estimate in combination with today’s mining and milling costs to understand the potential profit of the Bitinçkë licensed area. The report is expected to be complete by Quarter 4, 2008.

Diamond drilling is planned to begin in October in the Librazhd licensed area. The target mineral, Nickel, and the initial diamond drill program consists of three exploration holes. The area targeted has no historic diamond drill information, but has an historic resource that was based on excavations in the area.

Preparation for the diamond drill program has included the rehabilitation of 9.6km of road from the village of Upper Dardhe to the drill sites. This road is primarily used by logging trucks, and the upgrades will help the local loggers as well as Balkan Resources. As well, a water reservoir has been constructed near the diamond drill sites to ensure that adequate water will be available for the diamond drills. At the completion of Balkan Resources diamond drill program, this reservoir will be available for local farmers and shepherds to use as they need.

To aid in the diamond drill programs planned in Albania, Balkan Resources has hired services from the newly formed Balkan States Drilling Company. This company has been formed as a joint venture between the Canadian diamond drill company, CABO and the Albanian diamond drill company, Doko Drilling. Balkan States Drilling Company will use its expertise first at the Librazhd licensed area. Strong diamond drills, capable of drilling deep holes with good speed, are en route from Canada, and will be utilized at the and Perlati and Librazhd licensed areas.

ON the 28th of May 2008  Balkan Resources Sh.p.k, hosted a Gala event on the rooftop terrace of the President Hotel . The event in honor  of the Ruben Pashko Memorial Scholarship was attended by 150 guests including  , the Minister of Economy, Trade & Energy Genc Ruli, Canadian Embassy Counselor and Trade Commissioner Ms Anne Martel, Honorary Consul of Canada Krenar Loloci, Director of Mines Mr Kristo Rodi; Director Simishiu; Honorary Consul of Albania in Montreal,Canada Mr  Harry Bloomfield .

Mr Bloomfield  spoke “On behalf of Balkan Resources and Mr. Glenn Laing, chief executive officer, and fellow members of the Board of Directors, Mr. Richard Groome, Mr. Elliot Kramer, and Mr. Claude Schimper, who is also our Chief Operating Officer in Albania, I would like to welcome you to this very special evening which we have organized with both pride and sadness to honor the memories of both Gramosz and Ruben Pashko, father and son, who were our first and best friends in the earliest days of our efforts to establish a corporate presence here in Albania In particular I welcome you to this event which is dedicated to the establishment of a scholarship at the University of New York in Tirana in the name of Ruben Pashko, an annual event - we hope - that will not let us forget the lives of these dear friends, and this wonderful young man Ruben Pashko, who were taken from us so tragically 2 years ago. May I also take a moment now to add greetings from the Honorary Chairman of Balkan Resources, my friend and a very proud American Albanian - James Belushi, whom we hope to have join us for a visit to Tirana later this year!

          I would like to begin by taking this opportunity to thank formally the Government of Albania and through it the people of this country, for the confidence and respect they showed me by giving me the honor to represent Albania as your Honorary Consul in Montreal, Canada. I particularly want to thank Albania's Ambassador to Canada, Besnic Konci, for his support and friendship as I have taken up my duties in this post, and to say that I will do my utmost to be of service to the cause of Canada - Albania relations at all levels, not only diplomatic, but commercial and human.

          Our Canadian company has come here to Albania and established an Albanian corporate presence in order to pursue and develop opportunities that we see as immense and very exciting in the mining sector of this speedily developing young democratic nation. In 2 years we have raised money, established offices, taken on a professional geological team, hired staff members, purchased vehicles and equipment and begun our work. We are a major presence at the Conference and Exhibition on the Albanian Natural Resources but more importantly we are an important presence on our various mining concessions in the countryside of Albania, and we hope to enlarge and build on that presence until we are a world-class Albanian mining company! 

          When we first came to Albania almost 3 years ago, the first person that met was Gramosz Pashko who immediately made us feel comfortable and who took time personally to show us around the country. When we realized that his son Ruben might be free to join us in a professional capacity, we jumped at the opportunity to have a bright and attractive, English-speaking, totally knowledgeable young Albanian man as a part of our effort to acquire mining concessions and to move forward with our vision for a great mining company here. The news of Gramosz' injuries, of the decision to rush him to hospital in Italy in the middle of the night, that he was joined by his loving son, AND two young Albanian doctors, AND two young pilots, and that they all disappeared into the darkness of the Adriatic Sea - this has shaken and stunned all of us, the family and dear Moza PASHKO, this country, their many, many friends and of course we, the colleagues and friends of the two Pashkos, at Balkan. Words simply cannot express our profound sadness, and we can only pray for understanding of God's wisdom and purpose in having taken these two wonderful, decent people from our midst. As it says in the biblical Song of Songs, God came down from heaven and plucked the two most beautiful roses from His garden!

          In an attempt in some small measure to remember them, we have offered a scholarship of a full year's tuition fees to a student to be chosen by a writing competition from among the student body of the school established by the Pashko family, the University of New York in Tirana, and for this first year the subject chosen was "Entrepreneurship in Albania". A large number of students responded, and the three essays considered to be the best by a committee at the university, were judged by a group of our board members at Balkan Resources, and the three best student-writers have been invited to join us here this evening - they are Ledia Kalo, Edjola Marku and Erita Skendaj, fantastic young persons, each of whom wrote a wonderful essay on a variety of approaches to the question of Entrepreneurship in this country. One wrote about a specific plan to establish a small business activity here in Tirana; one wrote an overview of current trends and attitudes towards entrepreneurship; and one wrote a detailed plan of her pathway from student to business leader in the future, because they were all excellent, we have decided to give the winner the full year's scholarship to NYUT, and also to give each of the runners-up a prize of 1000 Euros to be used for their tuition.
          Let me now thank each and every competitor for joining in this competition, and particularly to congratulate these three finalists.

          I would now like to ask Minister Ruli and Mrs. Moza Pashko to join me here and to present these awards, as follows, 1st. Ledia Kalo, awarded a full year tuition at NYUT; and tied for 2nd and awarded each 1000 Euros towards their school tuition, Edjola Marku and Erita Skendaj. They shall always henceforth be known as Ruben Pashko Memorial Award Scholars.