Minister Peleshi at the Schuman Security and Defense Forum: Cooperation, the only way to ensure peace

Published: Tuesday, 21 March 2023 10:59

The Defence Minister Niko Peleshi participated in the "Schuman" Security and Defense Partnership Forum, with the theme "Stronger together in an unstable world", which was held in Brussels on March 20 and 21.
Minister Peleshi took the floor in the panel themed "Responding together to the crisis", where he spoke about the change of international security after the Russian aggression in Ukraine: “The international security landscape has changed profoundly. The ongoing Russian aggression towards Ukraine has highlighted the importance of security as a political issue. After the shock of the security scene, dormant potential conflicts and unresolved issues between states have become increasingly more fragile. Countries have rightfully become more vigilant and are taking steps to prepare themselves for possible conflicts by increasing their defense capacities." , - said Minister Peleshi.



According to Minister Peleshi, major crisis usually lead history to a critical juncture and the need for timely solutions brings to the stage great innovative ideas. He added that this forum is held precisely at a time when peace and security are under threat, so he added: “Let's turn the need for solutions into an impetus for a lasting leap in how we prepare to prevent crises, rather than dealing with the unwanted consequences”.
The Defence Minister emphasized the efforts and investments that Albania is making in cooperation with the USA, the EU and NATO in terms of cyber security: “Strengthening cyber security, this new warfare domain, requires investments in infrastructure as well as in human capacities, and it must be developed in a short time and at the same time, with a fairly large budget.”, - said the minister.
Emphasizing that countries should be more alert to this new war, which Albania faced last year, Peleshi said that: “Albania's experience can serve as a “test-bed” or example for other European countries or even the European structures themselves. The nature of some crises are beyond the control and ability of a single state, irrespective of its power or wealth. Cyberwar is a classic example. Since this kind of war is borderless, fighting it within a country's borders is unsuccessful”.



The Defence Minister also spoke about the danger that threatens the Western Balkans from a possible spread of the conflict in Ukraine: “The Western Balkans today feels threatened both by global geopolitical changes, but especially by the danger that can be created by the possible expansion of the war in Ukraine. There are countries that do not have mutual recognition, such as Kosovo and Serbia and there are countries where the ethnic differences can create instability, such as Bosnia and Hercegovina. Moreover, the presence of Russian influence in the media and politics of some countries in the region has caused distress. Faced with these circumstances the only way to ensure peace and stability is being part at “the same club”, the joint integration in the Euro-Atlantic structures. As opposed to each other the cost of isolation is even bigger than the cost of Integration. The Kosovo-Serbia dialogue and the recently mutual accepted Agreement can facilitate the long-awaited 'spring' between the two countries and bring about a golden age of guaranteed peace and progress for the region in the European family.”, - said during his speech the Minister of Defence, Niko Peleshi.