Defence Minister Kodheli official visit to the United States

Published: Wednesday, 29 October 2014 14:33

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The Minister of Defence, Mrs. Mimi Kodheli is on an official visit to the United States invited by the Secretary of Defence, Mr. Chuck Hagel.

On the first day of the visit, Minister Kodheli opened the bilateral talks in Defence, which define the foundation and development prospects of the cooperation in the next two years. Main topics of talks focused on further strengthening and deepening of cooperation, especially in new areas such as, the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania, the development of joint operations, etc.

Earlier, Defence Minister Kodheli held a meeting with Chief of Staff of the New Jersey National Guard, Brigadier General James Grant. Minister Kodheli thanked the personnel of the New Jersey Guard for the assistance and contribution made so far to the Albanian Armed Forces, emphasizing especially the education and training of 24 young Albanian officers at the Officer Candidate School in New Jersey. The Minister of Defence requested to turn this pilot program into a continuous one.

While Brigadier General Grant praised the cooperation between the New Jersey National Guard and the Armed Forces stressing that such cooperation are very important for both sides, not only for exchange of experiences, but they also serve to the future, creating strong and lasting friendships.

Defence Minister Kodheli gave a lecture at the Atlantic Council, about the impact in the Western Balkan region of the threats in the eastern and southeastern borders of the Alliance. The lecture was followed with great interest by the participants, who made many questions about the current situation from Albania’s viewpoint as a NATO member country facing new developments in the world.