Address of the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Albania, Mrs. Mimi Kodheli at the Regional Conference “Anti-Corruption”

: Published: Tuesday, 23 September 2014 15:49

Honourable Prime Minister Rama,
Honourable Mr. Giorgi Baramidze,
Excellencies Ambassadors,
Honourable Colleagues,
Professors of the Marshall Centre,
Guests and participants,

I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude and of the institution I lead for the systematic and continuous support of the US Administration in organizing activities of such level, and I take this opportunity to thank the Marshall Centre personnel for their support.
Today’s conference addresses an overly subtle and challenging topic for any society. In Albania, over the years, this phenomenon has reached alarming levels, reducing citizens’ confidence in the state institutions and becoming a major obstacle to the welfare and development of our society. In a year of governance, we have shown that we are open, we have the will and we are determined to continue efforts and reforms to address this situation.

Honourable participants,

In my early days, in the office of the Minister of Defence, one of the main directions has been the fight against corruption in the Security and Defence institutions. This phenomenon had denigrated and mucked the image and dignity of the Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence up.

Therefore, fight against corruption has been my subject in my first meetings as Minister of Defence with counterparts, dignitaries and senior officials of partner countries and allies. I have addressed this great concern in my first meeting with the NATO Secretary General.

I can tell you today, I am more convinced than ever that we have done what is necessary and this fight continues to be the focus of the Ministry of Defence, and it will also continue to be valid in the future. Results long speak for themselves.

Based on the main objectives of the Government’s Action Plan for the fight against corruption, the Ministry of Defence has adopted and is implementing its Action Plan. This plan clearly defines our approach and concrete measures in the fight against corruption, within Defence institutions.

To monitor the implementation of this Action Plan, we have established the anti-corruption unit, within the General Directorate of Inspection and Anti-Corruption in the Ministry of Defence. This unit is the focal point of the Ministry of Defence for the Interinstitutional Committee headed by the national coordinator for the fight against corruption.

During this first year at the top of the Ministry of Defence, we highly focused on increasing transparency, control of the use of the Armed Forces and public funds. For this purpose, several control groups were set up to identify cases of use of the Armed Forces outside their constitutional mission, as well as cases of abuse of power or public funds.

As you are aware, the anti-corruption unit and the other responsible structures in the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces have recorded cases of abuse with public funds, misappropriation of assets (properties) of the Armed Forces, violations in the recruitment process, appointments and promotions of military staff and professional education in the Armed Forces, etc, which were submitted to the competent structures of the country.

For this reason, and as I mentioned earlier, the time of the untouchables has gone once and for all. However, I am hopeful that our efforts are going in the right direction. In a short time, we made possible more transparency of the Defence budget; better management of Defence assets (including properties); frequent control of the activities of the subordinate structures of the MoD and General Staff; consequent verification of procurement procedures; systematic control of appointments and promotions procedures of the military personnel, etc.

This transparency and efficiency is expected to be further consolidated, thanks to the legal packages, some of them already adopted by the Albanian Parliament (the law concerning the powers and authorities of command and strategic management of the Armed Forces, law on ranks and military career in the Armed Forces, law for the Defence Intelligence Agency, etc.).

I’m sure that at a subtle time for the security in the Euro-Atlantic area, efficient use of Defence resources carries a great significance. We all know that, to achieve an effective operational level, capabilities, equipment, training, exercises, education, etc., are required, implying significant financial costs in the budget. In this regard, we must continue to always show willingness and transparency towards our taxpayers. This is our institutional obligation towards them.

Once again, I would like to thank the organizers of this conference, the Marshall Centre, the US Embassy and all those who made possible the organization and conduct of the conference at the Ministry of Defence. I believe that such activities, with a regional dimension, help and educate employees and institutions to address this wound. I take this opportunity to assure you that the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff of the Armed Forces, and me personally, remain fully committed to welcome again such activities in the future.

Thank you and I wish you success in the continuation of the conference proceedings!