Visit of the Director of the NATO Standardization Office to Albania: Strengthening cooperation in the field of military standardization

Published: Thursday, 09 October 2025 13:54

 

On October 7–8, 2025, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania hosted an official visit by the Director of the NATO Standardization Office (NSO), Major General Thierry Poulette. The visit took place as part of ongoing efforts to deepen cooperation between Albania and NATO structures in the field of standardization and to further strengthen the country’s role in this vital process for military interoperability.

During his stay in Albania, Major General Poulette held an official meeting with Deputy Defence Minister, Ms. Blerina Abrazhda. The discussion focused on enhancing national capacities for standardization, encouraging greater participation of Albanian experts in NATO working groups and promoting technical and professional exchanges with the NATO Standardization Office.

Deputy Minister Abrazhda welcomed Major General Poulette’s visit as a concrete sign of close cooperation between the two sides and emphasized the importance of standardization in improving efficiency, readiness, and the interoperability of Albania’s Armed Forces with allied nations.

As part of the visit, a special meeting was held at the Ministry of Defence auditorium with the Armed Forces’ standardization community. The event was attended by members of the Standardization Board, heads of planning, standardization specialists, personnel responsible for following STANAGs according to the 2025 annual ratification plan, as well as participants from the Command and General Staff Course, the Senior Officer Course at the Defence and Security College, and students from the Armed Forces Academy.

Major General Poulette delivered an informative lecture on the importance of standardization within NATO, highlighting the processes of developing and updating STANAGs, the significance of aligning procedures and equipment among allied nations, and the current challenges the Alliance faces in this field. He commended the efforts and commitment of the Albanian Armed Forces in fulfilling their standardization-related obligations and encouraged the continuation of this process with professionalism and dedication.

Major General Poulette’s visit to Albania marks an important milestone in strengthening cooperation and ties with NATO structures in the field of standardization. It serves as an incentive to continue improving national capacities and to further integrate the Albanian Armed Forces into NATO’s technical and operational processes.