Extraordinary meeting of NATO Defense Ministers, Peleshi: Albania ready for humanitarian aid, attention to the Balkans

An extraordinary meeting of NATO Defense Ministers took place today at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, where the main focus was on the situation in Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
Defence Minister Niko Peleshi, in his speech, once again clarified the position of Albania in full support of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and strongly condemned the violation of international law by Russia.

He pointed out that Albania joined without any hesitation other NATO and EU countries, which imposed sanctions on Russia, as well as the full readiness of the Albanian government to provide humanitarian aid and assistance to Ukraine.
In the framework of increased vigilance and measures to strengthen the eastern and southeastern sides of the Alliance, Mr. Peleshi added that our country has stated that it is ready to fulfill its obligations as a valuable and reliable ally side by side with other allies.

Minister Peleshi asked the Alliance to increase attention and carefully analyze the Balkans region, although the focus remains on the situation in Ukraine. He said the conflict should be controlled and kept outside NATO borders, as Russian influence in the Balkans is considered a real threat to the region.

The Secretary-General of the Alliance Jens Stoltenberg, condemned the Russian aggression against Ukraine and reaffirmed the full political support and continued military assistance from NATO to Ukraine. He also stressed the need to strengthen the Alliance's Deterrence (Prevention) and Defense, especially in the East and Southeast of its borders, where for the first time since its establishment, NATO is deploying Response Forces in these countries.
This ministerial precedes the NATO Extraordinary Summit, which will be held in Brussels on March 24.