Major General Bajram Begaj appointed as the new Chief of the General Staff of the Albanian Armed Forces

Published: Thursday, 30 July 2020 23:53

Major General Assoc. Prof. Bajram Begaj took office as the new Chief of General Staff of the Albanian Armed Forces, after a military ceremony, where the Minister of Defense, Olta Xhaçka handed him over the national flag.

Prior to the ceremony, Major General Begaj, with the hand on the Constitution sworn before the President of the Republic, Ilir Meta.

Defense Minister Olta Xhaçka thanked the departing Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Brigadier General Bardhyl Kollçaku, who will continue to be part of the Armed Forces and give his contribution.

Minister Xhaçka described Major General Bajram Begaj as one of the most qualified servicemen, and the more suitable for the challenges that not only the Armed Forces are going through, but also the society as a whole.

"Major General Bajram Begaj is undoubtedly one of the most prepared and valuable military men in the Armed Forces today. We all expect the new Chief of Staff to enhance the process of modernization and professionalism that has already gained positive momentum. The AAF is today a force that contributes with its contingents alongside the allies in difficult and dangerous missions, where our forces have received the highest praise. The AAF is today a force that is absorbing at an impressive pace not only equipments and weapons systems much more advanced than those we had available until a few years ago, but it is also investing more than ever in its human resources. Major General Begaj possesses very special qualifications that make him an excellent candidate for the time being. He is not only a career military man with an extremely vast experience that has stood out for his preparation, talent and ideas, but he is also a doctor. Actually, he is one of the best known doctors in Albania. "Hence, he is a trained and qualified military man to understand not only the traditional security challenges, but also the extraordinary challenges arising from invisible enemies but that can be perhaps even more dangerous." - the Minister said.

The new Chief of General Staff Bajram Begaj thanked the highest state authorities for the trust given and expressed his willingness and intention to further modernize the Armed Forces and motivate and treat better the Albanian military.

Brigadier General Bardhyl Kollçaku, who left office, thanked the collaborators and mentioned the achievements of the Armed Forces during his leadership, not forgetting to mention the difficult moments from floods to earthquakes and finally during the pandemic.

The new Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, Major General Assoc. Prof. Bajram Begaj served as Commander of the Doctrine and Training Command, during which he turned the Armed Forces Academy into an authentic institution of higher education and the only one in the field of security and defense.

Major General Bajram Begaj was born in 1967 in Rrogozhina. He completed his studies at the Faculty of Medicine in the General Medicine branch in 1989 and was awarded the title of active officer in the specialty 'Medicine' in 1998.