Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama shared images of the transformation of the Kuçova air base.
Rama stated that this tactical air base will play a key role in supporting NATO operations.
“The NATO Tactical Air Base opening soon in Kuçova will play a key role in supporting NATO operations and exercises, also serving as a center for Air Force activities, with advanced infrastructure for Alliance fighter and transport aircraft,” Rama wrote Facebook.
Last week, the Ministry of Defense of Albania stated that preparations were nearing completion at the NATO military base in the southern Albanian town of Kuçova before its inauguration on March 4.
Albanian Air Force Commander, Brigadier General Ferdinand Dimo, stated that NATO troops and aircraft will soon be accommodated, trained, and flown from the Kuçova air base, now a NATO tactical air base.
Albania has been a NATO member since 2009.
Defense Minister Niko Peleshi emphasized through a social media post that this base will play a key role in supporting NATO’s operations and exercises.
“This base will serve as a center for our Air Force activities, providing advanced infrastructure for Alliance fighter and transport aircraft. This step marks a new phase in strengthening our capacities for international cooperation and regional security,” Peleshi wrote on Facebook.
The Kuçova base was also mentioned by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his visit to Tirana on February 15.
“Over its 15 years in NATO, Albania has made significant contributions to our alliance. Next month, the NATO air base in Kuçova will be inaugurated,” Blinken said.
Work on its reconstruction began in January 2022. Since then, efforts have focused on perimeter fencing, security systems, and defense measures within the base’s perimeter.
NATO has invested approximately 50 million euros, while the Albanian government has invested over 5 million euros. Albanian authorities have undertaken the construction of security perimeters, access roads, lighting, installation of base security cameras, and intrusion detection sensors along the base perimeter.
At the start of the construction of this base, Minister Niko Peleshi stated that this was a clear message to “other actors with malicious intent” in the Western Balkans region.
For Albanian authorities, the selection of the Kuçova base is linked to the country’s geostrategic position, as well as to the airport itself, and the trust Albania has built within the military alliance.
Representatives from the highest levels of the Albanian state, NATO, and the United States will attend the inauguration ceremony for the air base.
The Kuçova air base was built in the 1950s but fell out of use in the 1990s.
Following the reconstruction of the Kuçova base, Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government requested swift action on Albania’s application to jointly finance with NATO the construction of a new naval base in Porto Romano.
