NATO Secretary General welcomes Albanian Prime Minister and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Edi Rama at NATO Headquarters
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama on Wednesday (29 January) and thanked him for his country’s participation in NATO’s operations, missions and deployments in Kosovo, Afghanistan and in the Baltic States as “solid contributions” to the Alliance’s shared security.
Welcoming Mr. Rama also in his role as Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE in 2020, Mr. Stoltenberg said that the OSCE is a crucial forum to discuss arms control, military transparency, and confidence building measures. “We welcome the role it plays in Ukraine and other conflict areas. These are all important issues for NATO. So you can count on our support in your role as OSCE Chair this year”, he said.
Mr. Stoltenberg said that NATO can count on “Albania’s active and positive commitment to stability and cooperation in the Western Balkans region” and on Albania’s “active role in promoting NATO’s Open Door policy”. “I am encouraged by Albania’s efforts to invest more in defence. And I support you in this endeavour”, he said. He stressed that NATO’s investment in Kuçovë airbase shows NATO’s commitment to Albania and to the region.
In the afternoon Prime Minister Edi Rama was meeting with the North Atlantic Council for an exchange of views on the priorities of the Albanian OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office in 2020.
