OREANDA-NEWS  Minister of Defence of Montenegro Predrag Bošković met earlier today with his Albanian counterpart Mimi Kodheli

Minister Bošković said that we can be proud of the strong and lasting friendship and mutual respect between the two countries, which can set an example to others in the region. He stressed Albania’s continuous support for Montenegro’s NATO bid, noting that Albania was among the first countries to ratify the Protocol on the Accession of Montenegro to NATO. Defence Minister Bošković particularly underlined the importance of the Western Balkans’ accession to the Alliance, as the best guarantee of peace and stability in this part of Europe

He commended the cooperation established between the two countries in the defence field, voicing appreciation for Albania’s willingness to assist in destroying surplus weapons and intensive cooperation between the Ministry of Defence of Montenegro and the Academy of Defence in Tirana.

Albanian Defence Minister Mimi Kodheli stated that he welcomes the dynamics of reinforcing the overall bilateral cooperation and voicing willingness of the Ministry of Defence of Albania to provide an even greater contribution to cooperation with the Ministry of Defence of Montenegro. She stressed the importance of Montenegro's membership in NATO for the entire region which, he added, becomes safer with another member of NATO, emphasising that Montenegro proved to be a brave and dignified country.

During his stay in Tirana, Minister Bošković met with Deputy Prime Minister of Albania Niko Pelesh. It was noted that Montenegro and Albania have clear foreign policy objectives and that there are no outstanding issues for further strengthening the overall cooperation between the two countries. In addition to the common European and Euro-Atlantic goals, the two officials points out the importance of cooperation in regional initiatives.