Deputy Minister of Defense visits troops in Latvia; the multinational battalion group in Latvia reaches the full operational capacity

Published: Friday, 29 September 2017 17:41

Deputy Minister of Defense, Mr. Petro Koçi visited the Albanian military troops, which are part of the multinational battalion in Latvia. AF contribute to this battalion group with a demolition platoon (EOD). The battalion was set up in Latvia in June 2017, as part of NATO's initiative for "Presence of Advanced Force ". In this battalion group, troops from Canada, Albania, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and Latvia participated in achieving full operational capabilities on September 28, 2017.

Present at this meeting were Defense Ministers of Canada, Poland, Slovenia, Latvia and high representatives of Spain and Italy.

Deputy Defense Minister, Petro Koçi was received on a special meeting by the Minister of Defense of Latvia, Bergmanis. Minister Bergmanis thanked Albania for its political determination and military contribution to Latvia. According to him, the cooperation of the countries in the Latvian battalion group is an indicator of the highest values of the Alliance. Mr. Koci thanked Mr. Bergmanis for the reception, and underlined that Albania is proud to remain firm in this collective effort.

In this context, the Latvian counterpart expressed his highest appreciation for the Albanian EOD contingent, for the professionalism and assistance they are giving to the community. Both interlocutors reconsidered the possibility of intensifying bilateral cooperation, where the common interest was mentioned in the field of education. "Albania will wherever and whenever continue to stand next to allies, in support of NATO's main principles," said Koçi during the meeting.

At the press conference, the Deputy Minister of Defense once again reaffirmed the commitment of Albania and the Armed Forces to all joint missions along with the NATO's allied countries.

Mr. Koçi had special talks with the Minister of Defense of Canada, Mr.Hajrit Singh Sajjan, of Poland, Antoni Macierewicz and of Slovenia Ms. Andreja Katič.