Xhaçka: Investing in the future of the Armed Forces, the right investment for a safer Albania

Published: Friday, 22 December 2017 11:35

At the end of the year, the Defense Minister Olta Xhaçka held a meeting with the special structure of Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) of the Engineering Battalion in the Support Command. A contingent of this structure came back home a few days ago from Latvia, where since June this year, Albania is represented by its members, part of the NATO Mission.

During her speech, Minister Xhaçka congratulated the EOD structure as a very important part of the AAF for carrying out with responsibility the mission in Latvia and Mali. "Your contribution, appraised by the mission leaders from the country where you carried your mission, was another proof of the professionalism of the AAF", - she said.

Xhaçka gave her appreciation for the devoted work of the effectives both within the country and abroad.

"These days we have talked a lot about the AAF and our effectives who were near thousands of families in emergency situation, for boys and girls in uniform who rescued over a thousand lives in the Aegean Sea in just a few months, or for our military contributing the Alliance in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since June this year, the Albanian flag stands next to flags of NATO members in Latvia and Mali. Specializing and modernizing the Armed Forces today is a topic of the day in order to be where others are unable to access. Because Albania is NATO, it is the country of the boys and girls who are there where there is a greater need to guarantee the safety of life", - said Minister Xhaçka.

At the end of her speech, the Minister stressed that to cope successfully with new challenges requires increased operational capacity.

"I am proud to assert that the Albanian Government and the Ministry of Defense are engaged in the process of modernization of the Armed Forces, with the aim of enhancing and improving the operational capacities of our military structures, and in particular, those structures that are part of NATO’s Collective Defense. We strongly believe that investing in the future of the Armed Forces is the right investment for Albania to be a better, safer and more prosperous country for our children", - concluded Minister Xhaçka.

The Defense Minister also participated in the annual analysis of the Armed Forces Support Command, which held a heavy weight in coping with emergencies a few weeks ago in some regions of the country.