Albanian Defence Minister Ermal Nufi has stated that there are no changes to KFOR’s security plans in Kosovo. He said this was confirmed during meetings he held in Brussels with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, as well as with the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Giuseppe Cavo Dragone.
In these meetings, he added that he also raised concerns about the security situation in Kosovo and the region.
He made these remarks after a visit and meeting with his Kosovo counterpart, Ejup Maqedonci.
Following the meeting, Minister Maqedonci said they discussed the development of military capacities and defence cooperation with Albania.
“We also discussed opportunities to deepen cooperation in other areas, including the defence industry, a very important and necessary sector in the times we are living in and in the coming days and months. We will work more broadly and more deeply in identifying opportunities for cooperation in this field. I am grateful to the minister for his readiness to support Kosovo on its path towards NATO integration, for promoting Kosovo within NATO and other organisations, which Albania does, and especially the Minister of Defence, as well as in our regional cooperation also with Croatia and Albania in this regard,” he said.
He also spoke about possible cooperation with Albania in the field of the military industry.
“We have already signed a contract for a munitions production factory, and we are also coordinating with other partners on joint production. When we talk about cooperation with the Republic of Albania in the defence industry, we are referring to two directions. There is joint production, and we will look at the possibilities of which areas we can jointly produce in, and this will be done in the coming period when we establish groups and teams that will work on identifying what we can jointly produce, in order to be interoperable operationally and also in terms of joint procurement of systems that make us interoperable,” he added.
The Albanian Defence Minister, Ermal Nufi, said that “the Republic of Albania stands side by side with Kosovo.” He said that cooperation with Kosovo is essential for increasing capacities and ensuring the security of both countries.
He also spoke about the security situation in Kosovo, saying that concerns had been raised in meetings held in Brussels.
“Albania has raised concerns about regional security, especially the security of Kosovo. We have expressed our concerns regarding the situation, emphasising that the security situation in Kosovo is directly linked to the security of the Republic of Albania, and any development or possible implication in Kosovo causes concern in Albania from a security perspective. In both meetings, both with Mr Rutte and Mr Dragone, it was confirmed that there has been no change, at least so far, in KFOR’s security plans regarding its engagement in Kosovo. I believe that all other developments will be addressed within the framework of our alliance cooperation. As long as we do our homework, both in Kosovo and within the alliance framework, the security situation remains stable. We have conveyed our concerns and are hopeful and confident that full attention is being given to the security situation in the region and in Kosovo,” he said.
The Albanian Defence Minister was also asked about Serbia’s armament purchases from China, saying that this is a matter for that country.
“The Republic of Serbia decides on its own whether and how it considers its security matters. Albania as a NATO member, and Kosovo as long as we have the KFOR mission, and given Kosovo’s own approach to security, I believe that all security strategies are in full coordination with NATO, which is the cornerstone of security guarantees not only in Kosovo but also in the region, as most countries in the region are NATO members,” he said.
Kosovo and Albania will send troops to Gaza as part of the International Stabilisation Force foreseen under the Peace Board established by US President Donald Trump.
Minister Nufi said that the number of troops to be deployed has not yet been determined.
“Albania and Kosovo have both committed to participating in Gaza. We are still in very early stages, still reviewing and assessing the territory where our troops could be deployed. In the future, we will be able to provide an exact answer on how many troops will go and how they will be deployed. Albania has many years of experience in international missions, starting from Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia and many other countries,” he said.
Minister of Defence Ejup Maqedonci welcomed his Albanian counterpart Ermal Nufi with a military ceremony.
Following the reception, the two held a meeting at the Ministry of Defence premises.
