The new Minister of Defense Niko Peleshi declared today that Albania and NATO have started a dialogue over the establishing of Pashaliman Naval Base, and that his objective would be that of finalizing the process. His remarks were made during the handover ceremony organized at the Ministry of Defense, in the presence of the former head of that institution Olta Xhaçka, that now serve the role as the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
In 2019 the Ministry of Defense made a request to NATO to consider Pashaliman for their future operations, due to many geographical advantages. Soon after that NATO confirmed for the Albanian media that they had started to work closely with the Albanian defense authorities, to establish the role Pashaliman could play for the Alliance. “This project should be followed closely in order to make it a reality,” declared Peleshi, while earlier in the speech he acknowledged the Albanian Armed Forces contribution to NATO. For Pashaliman, it wouldn’t be the first time to be used as a base for international partners. In the 50s, Pashaliman was the only Soviet base in the Mediterranean.
Peleshi considered also the beginning of the works for the Kuçova Air Base as an event of “special strategic importance.” In Kuçova, NATO is spending 50 million euros to renovate and modernize the base, making it one of the most important airbases in the region. In his remarks, Peleshi congratulated also his predecessor, Olta Xhaçka, for her work as Minister of Defense.
