Latvia, Minister Xhaçka meets Albanian Contingent after the painful incident at Military Base

Published: Wednesday, 08 May 2019 10:18

 

Xhaçka: You are not alone. Maximum care for you and your families.

Less than 24 hours from the event at Camp Adazi in Latvia, Defence Minister Olta Xhaçka traveled to Riga to visit the 4th EOD Contingent and meet with base leaders where, since 2017, Albania is represented by its troops as part of NATO's “enhanced Forward Presence” Mission.

Initially, Minister Xhaçka visited the two injured effectives, one of whom, Major Klodian Tanushi, in critic health condition at the Riga East University Hospital. The Defense Minister met with doctors who are attentively following the situation of Major Tanushi.

Subsequently, Minister Xhaçka, accompanied by Major General Nazmi Cahani, Albanian Military Representative at NATO Headquarters, and Colonel Fadil Ciroku, Albanian Military Attaché, arrived at Camp Adazi Military Base. At the meeting with the Albanian officials, the Defence Minister expressed the pain about the incident that occurred a day before, where as a result of the explosion of unexploded ammunition, during the carring out of her duties, Corporal Zarife Hasanaj lost her life while Major Klodian Tanushi and Sergeant Julian Kapaj were injured.

Particularly, Minister Xhaçka showed sympathy regarding the two female effectives, Enkelejda and Nadja, who are part of the contingent that arrived in Latvia 5 months ago.

“The pain is mutual and I am here today with you to share the grief, but also to find strength. The families of the three effectives, you and your families, will have my personal support, but also the support of each of the 8,000 members of our big army family, to overcome this difficult moment. You will never be alone and even the families of every man and woman in uniform will never be so,” said the Defence Minister during the discourse with the effectives.

The contingent’s military men and women, whose mission terminates after a few weeks, said they are determined to fully accomplish the mission with dignity, not only as a constitutional obligation, but above all, to continue the commitment left by their colleagues.

At the meeting with Minister Xhaçka, the Canadian and Latvian military leaders of the base expressed the utmost appreciation for the dignified representation and professionalism of Albanian military effective in these two years of their involvement with the NATO mission in Latvia.

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