Italian army assistance project ends

TIRANA, July 27 – Officials have marked the conclusion of a 16-year program of assistance by the Italian Delegation of Experts for the Albanian armed forces.
“It’s the end of an important experience, full of successes and significant objectives, results that have brought Albania, through the reorganization and consolidation of the armed forces, to join the Atlantic Alliance in 2009,” said the Chief of Staff of the Italian Defense Forces, Admiral Luigi Binelli Mantelli, who arrived in Tirana to attend the closing ceremony, in the presence of the Italian Ambassador in Tirana Gaiani, the Albanian Minister of Defense Arben Imami and Albanian Armed Forces Chief Xhemal Gjunkshi.
The Italian program “has been our traveling companion in the complete transformation of our armed forces,” said Imami.
Albania is now a NATO member, and the end of the program marks a new era in the bilateral cooperation in the military sector.
This year both countries have planned 28 joint initiatives of which 15 are in progress. For some years now, Albanian officers and soldiers have been working alongside the Italian army units in Afghanistan.
The Italian program, known as DIE, came to Albania in August 1997, during a difficult time in the country – in near anarchy caused by the fall of the pyramid investment schemes where Europe’s poorest population lost its life savings.
The Italian army assisted the Albanian counterparts in their reform to restructure the army in line with the NATO standards.
Albania became a NATO member in 2009.