TIRANA TIMES
MJEKES, April 12 – Denmark has donated equipment to Albanian military authorities to dispose of its massive Communist-era ammunition stockpiles by 2013, two years earlier than planned.
Six industrial cutting saws will be used by two military plants in southern Albania to dispose of about 90,000 tons of excess ammunition that are stored in old army depots.
That is part of a bigger project of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe with funding from Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Greece, the OSCE press office said Monday.
The United States also gave $10 million (7.4 million euros) for this project.
The move comes after a huge blast in 2008 at a munitions disposal factory near the capital, Tirana, killed 26 people and injured 300.
Head of the OSCE Presence, Ambassador Robert Bosch, Albanian Defense Minister Arben Imami and Danish Ambassador to Albania Ankj粠Jensen were in Mjekes depot in Elbasan Monday to inaugurate the operation of two industrial cutting saws, which will be used to destroy surplus ammunition. Four additional band saws have been installed at the Polican facility.
“This new equipment will double the ministry’s capacity to destroy surplus and outdated ammunition, thus helping to make Albania a much safer country to live in,” Bosch said.
The Danish Ambassador, whose country has donated the band saws, said that the destruction of the ammunition was a very concrete break with the past. “It is also a symbol of the future and of the new partnership between two member countries of NATO,” he added.
During his speech Bosch also mentioned Gerdec blast two years ago.
“I doubt anyone here or in the entire population will ever forget the events that occurred on March 15, 2008 in the village of Gerdec. An explosion at the ammunition destruction site brought about the tragic loss of 26 lives, many more hundreds of people wounded and millions of euros in damages caused to local property as a result of the existence of thousands of tons of surplus ammunition all over the country – as heritage of the old communist system. The tragedy of Gerdec brought to the public’s attention the seriousness of the situation that the country was facing.”
The existence of some 90,000 tonns of surplus ammunition throughout the country is recognized as a very serious threat to public safety.
Last month Albania’s Defense Ministry said it started an awareness campaign and fund raising for a 35.5 million euro project to dispose of about 90,000 tons of excess ammunition that are stored in old army depots and are seen as posing a risk to public safety.
As a NATO member country, Albania has to dispose of the Cold War era ammunition in a safe and secure manner.
In response to a government request for assistance, In December last year, with funds provided by the Danish Government, the OSCE Presence in Albania donated, among other assistance, six industrial saws to the Defense Ministry to help assist them in their huge task of ridding this country of the surplus ammunition.
Last December the Presence facilitated the delivery of these six industrial saws, two for depot in Mjekes and four for the factory in Poli袮
These new pieces of equipment will double the capacity to destroy surplus and outdated ammunition, thus quickly making Albania a much safer country to live in.
A year ago Albania and Croatia raised their flags at NATO headquarters along the other partners as new members.
Joining NATO had been a key foreign policy goal for Albania being the first country in former eastern European communist countries signing the Partnership for Peace agreement with the alliance.
NATO membership is also considered as an additional encouragement on the way to the European Union.
