Military and economic cooperation discussed as Baird visits Tirana, meets with top officials.
TIRANA, Sept. 2 – Aiming to promote a strong and coordinated response to address ongoing threats to global security, most notably in Europe and the Middle East, Canada’s top diplomat, John Baird, was in Albania this week for the first ever visit by a Canadian foreign minister to the Adriatic republic.
Baird met with a number of senior government representatives, including his counterpart, Ditmir Bushati, Prime Minister Edi Rama and President Bujar Nishani.
Baird expressed Canada’s strong support for Albania’s path to European integration, noting that the economic and rule-of-law reforms Albania is currently implementing will make the country an even more valuable partner and attractive business destination for Canadian companies.
By raw numbers, Canada has became a surprising top investor in Albania, largely due to Canada-based companies being heavily involved in the natural resources extractive sector in Albania – oil and gas as well as mining.
The two countries have had little cooperation otherwise, despite a large Albanian community in Canada. Ottawa doesn’t have an embassy in Albania, covering the country through its ambassador in Rome.
However, as NATO partners, Baird brought the focus of his visit to crises and wars in the world, especially that in Ukraine.
“The invasion of Russian forces in areas of eastern Ukraine is an alarming signal to all those who value freedom, prosperity and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Baird said. “The Russian Federation’s actions represent a significant threat to the security and prosperity of all of Europe. Canada stands ready with its partners and allies to impose further economic and political sanctions if the Putin regime does not refrain from going down this reckless path.”
Baird later joined Albania’s defense minister, Mimi Kodheli, to visit an airbase facilitating critical supplies to security forces protecting Iraq’s civilians. Albania has provided ammunition and supplies for the Kurdish forces, which were shipped to Iraq by Canadian planes as part of a joint operation under NATO. Both countries are members of the alliance.
“Canada and our allies have made it clear that we will not stand by while ISIL terrorists continue their murderous rampage against innocent civilians,” Baird said in a press conference in Tirana. “We will continue to work with NATO allies such as Albania, and with the Government of Iraq, to provide critical supplies to the security forces protecting Iraqi civilians. These measures are complementary to the humanitarian assistance Canada is already providing to the country.”
Albania is sending weapons and ammunition to Kurdish Peshmerga forces fighting Islamic State jihadi militants in Iraq after a decision was taken on Aug. 15. Albania intends to transfer 22 million rounds of AK-47 7.62 millimeter bullets, 15,000 hand grenades and 32,000 artillery shells of different calibers.
They are part of an international drive — seven Western governments in addition to the United States — to help the embattled Iraqi Kurds curb the jihadi militants of Islamic State, formerly known as ISIS or ISIL, who have seized large parts of Iraq and Syria and committed numerous atrocities.
Albanian Foreign Minister Bushati, speaking in a joint press conference with visiting Canadian counterpart, said Tuesday Albania is concerned that a few of its citizens are taking part in fighting in Syria and Iraq. Bushati said that authorities were trying to isolate this phenomenon, adding terrorist groups pray on the poorest and isolated part of Albanian society to recruit fighters.
“Albania is working with the authorities to isolate this phenomenon and it is important to fight this together with
economic and social factors. We think this is crucial,” he said.
Recently Albania made it a crime for its citizens to fight wars in other countries after a trend of people going to fight in
Syria. The trend is globally larger with hundred of Western citizens having joined the fight as well, which has caused great
concern among NATO members.
