NATO official visits Albania

TIRANA, March 2 – NATO Assistant Secretary-general for Defense Policy and Planning John Colston paid a visit to Albania last weekend talking with the top local officials on the country’s efforts toward integration into the alliance. Colston also took part at the meeting held on where are the country’s military and other reforms going to. Colston headed a high-level NATO delegation. Prime Minister Sali Berisha thanked Colston for the encouraging message his country got at the Riga NATO summit last year and assured him of further reforms to achieve the required standards. Berisha also repeated his government’s efforts in the fight against organized crime, trafficking, corruption and consolidation of the rule of law and the country’s economic growth. Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu talked specifically on the process of reforms and their progress. “We are working to get the invitation for NATO membership at its next enlargement summit,” said Mediu. Colston said they were very pleased about Albania’s army reform, especially raising its budget to 2 percent of the GDP next year, and also for its participation in international peacekeeping missions. Albania has peacekeeping armed forces in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq. It has also started negotiations to send troops in Lebanon. At the same time Albania plans to increase its presence in Afghanistan.