“NATO, integration requires 10 years”

According to the report published by the media, Albania has not fulfilled the NATO standards for the national strategy, the military security, the management of the human resources from education, training, hiring personnel, etc.

“Today, after 2 years, we know more than we knew two years ago. We must say this in the beginning, and secondly, it is essential to explain that we are in an integration process that doesn’t last one year or 10 months. It is a 10 years long process. The Albanian Armed Forces have made excellent progresses. We can say that in 2013 we will leave an army that has nothing to do with the past, but only with the future. As for the joint diagnosis of the commandos and doctrine, and our armed forces, we have seen them. It has been accomplished and the work now is on the right track. As for the other problems, those are complex problems that have to do with the reforms. But it is important to say that this year we started seeing the cost-efficiency, and I have often declared that this is important for the tax payers, so that the citizens know where their money is going”.

Before the Spring Summit that will be held in Chicago, the NATO Ministry of Defense discussed the new concept of “Smart Defense”, which aims to increase the efficiency for NATO expenses. While the NATO members are facing the consequences of the world economic crisis and aim reducing troops in peacekeeping missions, Albania has tripled its presence. Only the modernization plan costs to the budget 30 million EUR each year.

“We have established capacities that we have never had before. We have Special Forces that for the first time have gone to fighting missions. We have sent a training team, which has the duty to create a battalion of Afghan security forces. All of these are big and important reforms that grow the capacity and this will go on like this, because without these reforms it would be impossible to have a full integrity and interoperability with the other member countries”.

Another topic discussed in this meeting of the Defense Ministers, were the developments in Libya.

“It is important to mention that the operation in Libya was deeply discussed, we took the necessary lessons that help us increase common capacities. This is an important message of this ministerial meeting”, Imami declared.

As for the issue of dismantling and eliminating old ammunition, the Minister declared that by 2013, Albania will be clean of any excessive material.

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