FA mobilizes Civil Emergency capacities, Xhaçka: 6000 effective on alert even when others are on vacation

: Published: Thursday, 26 July 2018 17:29

The AAF remain alert to face any emergency situation.

At the Cape of Pal Naval Base in Durrës, the Armed Forces contingent, who engages in emergency cases, exhibited the tools and equipment that they have at their disposal.

During the demonstration, which also served as an evidence of mobilization for the forces and means at their disposal in case of emergency, there were present Defence Minister Olta Xhaçka, accompanied by Chief of General Staff Brigadier General Bardhyl Kollçaku and General Director of Civil Emergencies Haki Çako.

Minister Xhaçka began her speech by expressing her sympathy for the Greek people who were hit by the catastrophe caused by recent fires, and informed about the assistance provided by the Albanian Armed Forces to the Greek authorities, mainly on search and rescue operations.

Minister Xhaçka considered the catastrophe in Greece as an event that should serve as a lesson learned and that everyone should discern their own, personal, or institutional responsibilities.

Also, Minister Xhaçka highlighted the AAF commitments during the last few months, as well as assured that they are prepared and remain in readiness to render help to Albanian citizens in any situation. "We need to reassure the Albanian Government, as well as any Albanian citizen that the Ministry of Defence and our Armed Forces who have the responsibility for dealing with Civil Emergencies today, will continue to engage and will be close to the community for any kind of threat to their security.

I am here today to reassure and guarantee you that the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces are at any time ready to respond. Even when others are surrendered, even when others are on vacations, as it is August, our Armed Forces are on the alert and on duty. And this is the message I wanted to convey today."

Minister Xhaçka considered civil emergencies as a new front war and for this she asked the local government's commitment, but especially from the citizens. "It is an unpredictable war, like all the wars, a war that is at every moment ready to take lives, to destroy the public and private property that has been built with so many efforts. But even the Defence Ministry and the Armed Forces cannot handle it alone. AAF, other authorities of executive power, prefectures, local governments’ authorities, as well as the citizens, I want to put a strong emphasis on the citizens, we all together must join our forces to avoid the impact of consequences that derive from different disasters. Especially in these hot months, I call on citizens, businesses and local governments’ authorities, to increase their attention, but also their individual responsibility, as small carelessness can have enormous consequences", said Minister Xhaçka, who also warned of punishment for the perpetrators. "Any abusive act committed by negligence, or deliberately or maliciously, will receive the due punishment from the respective organs. And we have taken all the measures that every case identified as such, any case, any arson, will receive the deserved answer and everyone will face justice”.