Defence Minister Niko Peleshi participated in the NATO Summit that took place these two days in Madrid, Spain, as part of the Albanian delegation headed by Prime Minister Edi Rama.
The 3-day Summit was considered a historical moment, for the important decisions taken including the orientation of Defense while the security situation is very delicate, in a moment that Russia and China continue to challenge.
Special attention was paid to the Western Balkans, which is considered a region of strategic importance for the Alliance. In this Summit, it was emphasized that the countries that aspire for membership in the Euro-Atlantic structures will have the support of the Alliance. The US President Joe Biden and the Secretary General of the NATO Jens Stoltenberg especially appreciated the role of Albania as a NATO ally.
The Albanian government expressed its appreciation for the agreement reached between Sweden, Finland and Turkey, paving the way for the membership of the two Nordic countries in NATO. Prime Minister Edi Rama proposed from his part that Kosovo be immediately invited to the Partnership for Peace mechanism, asking the countries that have not recognized it to evaluate their attitude.
The heads of state and government of NATO countries approved the new Strategic Concept of the Alliance, defining the main priorities and approaches for addressing the challenges for the next decade. Different from the Strategic Concept of 2010, which described Russia as a "strategic partner", the new concept presents it as the "greatest direct threat to the Alliance", and China as a growing country with ambitious policies to challenge the interests and security of the Alliance.
