Army Day celebrated

TIRANA, Dec. 4 -Senior Albanian officials observed the 94th anniversary of the creation of the army on Monday, but President Alfred Moisiu was not seen alongside Prime Minister Sali Berisha. December 4th is considered the day of the creation of the Albanian army under the government of Ismail Qemali, who declared independence in 1912. After the fall of communism in 1990, Albania was among the first to ask for NATO membership, and signed on to the Partnership for Peace program.
The presence of Albanian units on international missions in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the planned deployment of units to Lebanon in the near future, has been part of the country’s efforts to enter into full membership in the alliance. “We are very proud of them,” said Berisha at the ceremony. “On behalf of the future we are ready to take any decision, to pay any price to guarantee to the Albanian citizens the safer future they deserve,” he said.