Some 1,000 army troops and 80 vehicles were committed to cleaning national highways and surrounding areas for a second weekend in a row
TIRANA, Feb. 15 – Hundreds of Albanian army soldiers and officers joined a government move over the weekend to clean litter from national highways across Albania.
The main target areas were in the northeastern border crossing of Morine with Kosovo and near Tirana’s Mother Teresa
International Airport. Both places are major ports of entry for tourists. It was the second weekend that some 1,000 army troops and 80 vehicles were committed to cleaning national highways and surrounding areas.
Albania’s five-month-old government has set cleaning up the
country from litter as a priority in the context of attracting tourists. It sees the existing situation as “an environmental emergency,” according a recent statement. Besides turning to the armed forces, the government has also called on civic organizations and the population at large to join the initiative to clean up the country. Speaking to the media, Defense Minister Mimi Kodheli said residents and local authorities should join the ongoing operation and assist the armed forces to make Albania more attractive for tourists
