Italy remains Albania’s top supporter in military reforms

TIRANA, March 14 – Italy remains one of the main countries helping Albania’s military to get restructured and reach international standards required by the northern Alliance, the country hopes to join in 2008. In a meeting Wednesday Italian military officials presented the aid in 2006 and what would be expected this year. In 2006 Italy offered a grant assistance of 7.5 million Euros for the Albanian army based on different materials and equipment. Since 1997 an Italian military delegation of experts works alongside the Albanian military to get along with its reforms. Minister Fatmir Mediu said that neighboring Italy was considered as a strategic partner in the political, economic and security fields, especially that of defense and fighting illegal trafficking.
This year Italy will assist Albania in two big projects: participation of an Albanian peacekeeping army unit in the Lebanon mission and the creation of a joint training center in Albania.