Speech of Minister Kodheli at the Parliament of Albania

: Published: Thursday, 22 May 2014 18:52

Dear members of the Parliament,

I greet you once again, as every Thursday, in the most prominent day of the week for the government in front of you, legislators, and in particular, colleagues of the opposition.
I continue to follow with interest all the political discourse of the week and every day my wonder get reduced more and more for all that you state and I’m even more convinced you play dirty.
You play dirty, because you gentlemen, you that leaded this country as you did and brought us to the last straw, your carry on your back bitter realities and burning secret.

As Minister of Defence, I would like to make a simple question to my predecessor. Why Mr. Former Minister you have hampered the development of NATINADS project? For all those who do not understand, NATINADS is the NATO integrated air defence system, which simply makes possible for Albania to become part of this system.

Since September 2011, there is a worrying correspondence between our Representation in Brussels and the Ministry of Mr. Imami. Or more precisely, a monologue of letters from Brussels, while your government, gentlemen, did not even answer. I believe it was an issue of priorities. You better explain to the Albanians the reasons of that silence. The reasons of the reluctance to put Albania under the NATO air surveillance system.
Secondly, can you tell why the surveillance radars of the maritime space were turned off or did not work for two years? Why the radars that monitor the Otranto Strait were turned off? Give to us a minimal explanation for the causes of the endless shutdown. I would like to remind the public that the radars were put into operation in January, this year.

I will continue to submit to the State Prosecutor’s office, every violation found and you have made many violations, you have led the Armed Forces to the limits of corruption. And we are only cleaning the sludge found. With senior officers of the Armed Forces who took bribes from militaries, with admirals who supposedly put the wrong rank, with the generals who peculated openly. I found mountains of overdue bills in the Ministry of Defence. But how is it possible that there was no bill related to the modernization of the Armed Forces? How is it that you considered the military establishment simply and only, I am sorry to say so, as cows to be milked. It cannot be and it will not be so.

While the Armed Forces, I say it again with full responsibility and conviction, they have nothing to do with drug trafficking.

Thank you!