Change font size:
TIRANA, Feb. 18 – The Albanian government has purchased four new patrol ships for its naval fleet after negotiating a 31 million euro deal with the Netherlands.
A statement found on the government internet site showed that 11 million Euros for the new ships come as a Dutch grant, while the rest would come from the state budget over the next four years.
Albania hopes to be invited to join NATO at the alliance’s April summit in Bucharest.
The new patrol boats will aim to tackle lucrative trafficking routes in the Adriatic Sea, after a three-year moratorium on speedboats is due to expire in April 2009.
