“Bravo!” says US Ambassador Lu as Albanian gov’t proposes higher defense budget
US Ambassador Donald Lu has welcomed the recent proposal of the government to increase its defense budget.
During the ceremony of handing over of 12 armored vehicles to the Albanian Army, Lu said he felt proud that a NATO ally was investing in its Armed Forces, while also calling real heroes the Albanian sailors and militaries who have succeeded in their efforts and have saved hundreds of lives .
“As your NATO ally, we are proud to see your new Defense Minister and your new Chief of the General Staff investing in building the future of a strong Albanian armed forces. For the first time since Albania joined NATO in 2009, we are seeing a large increase in the proposed defense budget – more than 8 billion leke more than last year. This is a priority shared by the government and opposition, by the President, the Prime Minister and the Parliament. Bravo. Second, they are investing with technology. Today’s delivery of these armored vehicles and the display of sophisticated NATO-standard rifles, an American bomb disposal robot and bomb protection suits represents only a small fraction of the modern weapons and equipment being introduced to the Albanian Armed Forces. And third, but most importantly, they are investing in people,” Ambassador Lu said.
Defense Minister Olta Xhaçka defined the cooperation of the Albanian Army with the United States as a success story.
The most important element of this cooperation, according to Xhacka, is the training of human resources.
Ambassador Donald Lu hinted that next January Minister Xhaçka will visit Pentagon, and this will surely result in expanded military relations between the two countries.
SCAN
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