Opening remarks by Albania Defence Minister at SEDM

: Published: Tuesday, 17 September 2019 15:56

Thank you Mr. Chairman Petro,
Dear SEEBRIG Commander, General Petrache,
Senior Militaries,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning to all of you and welcome to Tirana. I am very happy to be here today as we kick of this SEDM event.
I am happy, indeed I am proud of our men and women who have worked much to prepare for this. But, to be honest, I am also very aware of the great responsibility that comes with our chairmanship. I know that the next two years are going to be demanding and challenging for Albania and for everybody involved in this effort.

Thank you Mr. Chairman Petro,
Dear SEEBRIG Commander, General Petrache,
Senior Militaries,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Chairing this forum is by definition a complex challenge. And believe that the times we are going through make this a particularly challenging moment. Anyone who even glances at the areas where we all come from, at the countries and regions we represent, can see full well that this is a moment when the status quo in our regions is being challenged by resurgent traditional rivals as well as new threats. The threats themselves are very different from those of past decades. There are hybrid strategies afoot that aim to exploit the weaknesses of our systems and fault lines in our societies in order to ferment conflict, sow division and generally undermine our cohesion as societies and our political systems. All with one aim in mind: to derail our Euro-Atlantic perspective.

All our countries are to some extent forced to deal with threats emanating from our southern and eastern flanks, where civil strife, conflict, war have all created fertile grounds for the proliferation of extremism, terrorism and criminal activities.
I remember a scholar who once compared the geopolitical position of the Balkans and Albania specifically to a bridge. We are indeed, to a greater or lesser extent, all our countries and regions, are sort of a bridge between different regions, cultures, and more importantly, geopolitical realities.
And that can be a challenge of course, because that’s one thing about bridges, all sorts of things and people cross over bridges. So, we are the first to face the threat of violent extremism, terrorism, trafficking, organized crime and also the attempts of third actors to spread their influence.
But I believe that this is what makes this forum so important and that by working together, by strengthening our cooperation we could not only improve our own security and stability, but also that of the region and of Europe as a whole.

Indeed it is this quest for security and stability, and ultimately, for the prosperity and improved living standards that come along with them, that SEDM was set up. And I have no doubt, that SEDM has proved its value and that is why it has today such a diverse membership and why other countries are trying to join this forum.

I will not discuss Albania’s priorities at this time, because the Chairperson will do so tomorrow for all SEDM members. But I do want to briefly highlight a couple of issues that are in our view of the outmost importance.

First, I believe that we must engage in a much more ambitious outreach effort. SEDM has done very important work over the years and I believe the Western Balkans especially are one of the areas where this work shows. But, unfortunately we have not done enough to reach out to our public, our people.

At a time when our societies, our political systems, the cohesion of our countries, is under threat, this effort becomes all the more important. We must show what we do, why we do it and how people benefit from it. This is well within our ability.
We do have the necessary tools, such as SEEBRIG which we can use to make us more relevant and visible. More exercises, more trainings, more public relations of course, but also a greater focus on issues of direct concern to our citizens, such as emergencies and Civil Defense represent one of the best opportunities.

Second, I believe that we must support and promote the “Open Door Policy” in order to re-vitalize our initiative. Again, the recent past of the Western Balkans shows perfectly well what an extraordinary impact such cooperation, with the involvement of NATO and the EU can have in stabilizing conflict areas and building modern, peaceful and prosperous societies. It is time to extend this same possibility to other, aspiring countries in and around our regions in order to contribute to regional and international security.
Albania has done our outmost to promote cooperation in the Western Balkans and support the regions Euro Atlantic integration. Integration is a vital tool for promoting democratic development and good neighborly relations. Indeed it is of fundamental importance to regional security and stability.
The reason why we are such staunch believers in the importance of integration comes from our own experience. You all know what a troubled history we have had and how difficult our transition has been. But we had our Euro - Atlantic integration as our North Pole. We had a roadmap and a blueprint for where we wanted to go.
10 years ago we joined NATO. 10 years later Albania has become a net exporter of security and its Armed Forces provide extensive resources and contribute to peace, security, stability and democracy in many regions of the world, under NATO, EU and UN in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Iraq, Aegean Sea, Latvia, Mali, South Sudan, Bosnia - Herzegovina. I believe, without a doubt that other countries can achieve the same if they are given a path to integration.

Finally, let me extend my sincere appreciation, as well, for the contribution your countries and each one of you, have provided in enhancing regional defense cooperation, strengthening of national capabilities and further advancing of regional integration into Euro - Atlantic structures.

I want to thank the Albanian SEDM Secretariat, its Chairman, Mr. Koçi and all the staff for the tireless work in preparing these first meetings. I wish the best of success in your endeavor and concurrently, I assure you, the Albanian Ministry of Defense and my personal full support in carrying out your duties for the next 2 years.

Thank you for the attention and I am sure you will enjoy the stay in Albania.