The President of the Republic, Bajram Begaj, visited today the NATO Strategic Command for Operations, where he had a face-to-face meeting with the Supreme Commander, General Cavoli.

Global security, security in the Western Balkans region, Albania’s role as a contributor to peace, security and the Euro-Atlantic orientation of the region, as well as the strengthening of Albania’s military capacities and direct contribution to NATO were some of the issues on which the Begaj-Cavoli talks focused.

“Today the security situation has worsened and the conflict in the Middle East, as well as the brutal Russian aggression against Ukraine, have the tendency to spread to other regions as well. The situation in the Western Balkans continues to be fragile, which reminds us how much effort is needed to protect not only the democratic principles, but also the peace and security of our countries”, said President Begaj.

President Begaj assured General Cavoli that “Albania will always be where NATO needs it, as it has proven with its presence in NATO missions and operations in Afghanistan, KFOR (Kosovo), Latvia, Bulgaria, Iraq.”

On the other hand, President Begaj particularly appreciated the investment that NATO made in the Kuçova Air Base, which was inaugurated only 4 days ago, emphasizing that “Albania offers and welcomes NATO’s commitment and investment to transform the port of Porto Romano into a its naval base.”