On the second day of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Tirana, the
Albanian Minister of Defense underlined the necessity to integrate the
Western Balkan into the EU, in order to avoid Russian influences and
radicalization.
“I want to welcome each of you to Tirana. NATO is a community of values, united by democracy, individual freedom, human rights and the rule of law. The NATO Assembly, made by Parliament members from all countries is the incarnation of these values”, Kodheli said, and then referred to the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia, their oppressive activities in Ukraine and the rhetoric with NATO, even nuclear threats.
“NATO increased cooperation with the Russian Federation, including the rocket defense area. Many of us thought we could expect a NATO without threats in our immediate borders, but, unfortunately, we saw the illegal annexation of Crimea and the oppression around Ukraine. Russia also heated up the rhetoric. I want to remind the declaration of the Russian ambassador in Denmark, who said that Danish territory would be targeted by Russian nuclear rockets. The list of similar declarations is long and intentional”, Kodheli declared.
As for the challenges that are being faced today, the Minister of Defense focused on migration and terrorism, saying they all require a strong approach for stopping them and for protection. Kodheli said it is not easy to deal with such challenges, but there is no midway solution.
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