Defense Minister Ermal Nufi, in an interview with Euronews Albania’s Thimi Samarxhiu, spoke about Tirana’s selection as the host city for a future NATO Summit. He said the summit is expected to take place in 2027 or early 2028, stressing that the final date will be decided by NATO heads of state.

According to Nufi, the Alliance operates through clearly defined long-term stages. While member states made their initial defense spending commitments at the Hague Summit and provided updates on their implementation at the Ankara Summit, the summit in Albania will focus on the operational progress of those commitments.

Beyond its technical agenda, Nufi emphasized that choosing Tirana carries a strong political and strategic message for countries that share NATO’s values and objectives.

“I have been working on the outcomes of the Ankara Summit, and it is important to understand how the Alliance functions. NATO holds ministerial meetings for defense ministers, ministerial meetings for foreign ministers that advance the Alliance’s political agenda, and summits attended by heads of state.

At every summit, the Alliance makes concrete commitments. At the Hague Summit, we committed to increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, with each member state presenting a credible path toward meeting that target through its annual budget.

The Ankara Summit was where heads of state reported on the progress already made. Some countries have already exceeded 5% or even 6% in defense spending this year. The summit in Tirana will focus on the concrete implementation of these commitments—where we stand with the allocated funds, the procurement process, defense systems, and their deployment.

Naturally, these investments and procurements may take more than 12 months, or even 18 to 24 months, to be completed. It is therefore up to NATO leaders to decide when the next summit will be held.

The security situation is evolving rapidly, and the challenges facing Europe’s security remain a serious concern,” Nufi said.