Similar security measures have been implemented at Tirana's airport and the country's two main ports of Durres and Vlore. Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic will assume the role of SEECP chairman in March 2002. "&_l="+escape(_d.referrer)+"\" width=70 height=15 "+ In addition, he noted that Albania had signed a bilateral Article 98 Agreement with the U.S., through which it has pledged not to turn over Americans to the International Criminal Court. The new armed forces consists of about 14,500 troops including 2,000 civilians, trained to NATO standards. August 1999 - September 1999 Nanos return to the helm of the party just a month after former president Sali Berisha was re-elected as head of the opposition Democratic Party reflects the dominant role still played in both parties by old guard politicians of the isolated Stalinist government, which ruled up to 1991. Romania, an EU candidate, is the only other European nation that has signed such an agreement with the United States. Washington, D.C. - The Turkish Navy has spent $16 million for the repair and modernization of the Pasha Liman naval base in the Albanian port of Vlore in order to upgrade the base to NATO standards. Albania, which sent 75 soldiers to Iraq to support coalition peacekeeping and reconstruction efforts, is a member of NATO's Membership Action Plan, established in 1999 to help countries prepare for entry into the alliance. Land Force has the major share in peacekeeping operations in the framework of NATO, UN and EU. You can change your mind by clicking on the 'Cookies' button at the bottom left of every page of our site. Cooperation with Greece on Olympic Security Measures Macedonian Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski, and Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis in the northern Greek town of Florina, the three countries announced the creation of the Balkan Park of Prespes to preserve the region surrounding Lake Prespes. May 9, 2003 Type 56, Type 85, M-1942, M-1943. Prime Minister Fatos Nano pledged to tighten border controls to curb international terrorist activity in the country. 82mm, 120mm, 160mm. Washington, D.C. - Prime Minister Ilir Meta expressed the Albanian government's strong condemnation of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, as well as Tirana's solidarity with the American people and government. Its precisely the strengthening [of NATO] agreed through the will of all members today, the increased presence with additional military units in the East that discourages Russia from claims of extending destabilization into the Western Balkans, Peleshi noted, adding that the region faced no imminent danger for the time being. Turkey and Albania enjoy good economic and political relations. Washington, D.C. - About 30 Albanian special commando troops will join the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in August and will work directly under the 1,400-member Turkish contingent. With the July 2002 election of Alfred Moisiu to the position of president, as a consensus candidate of both the Democratic Party and the Socialist Party, the two parties re-engaged in political dialogue, launching a period of political stability that has made significant progress possible in democratic and economic reforms, rule of law initiatives, and the development of Albania's relations with neighboring countries and the United States. In addition, 116,000 light and small illegally held weapons have been destroyed in a joint project conducted by the U.S., Germany, and Norway under U.N. auspices. Meta was elected prime minister twice, in 1999 and 2001. Fair Elections Indicate Democracy Consolidating The GlobalEuropeProgram addresses vitalissues affecting the European continent, U.S.-European relations, and Europes ties with the rest of the world. April 1999 - May 1999 In 2006 the Land Force was dissolved and the Joint Force Command was established. Athens has also signed an agreement with Tirana to supply it with electric power at a rate below market price. If the $2 million, year-long pilot program is successful, the U.N. will expand it throughout the country. October 1998-November 1998 Albania and North Macedonias EU Accession: What Happens Now? Marko Bello, a former deputy defense minister, is replacing Meta as foreign minister.

The renovated facilities, which include a shipyard and war college, were inaugurated in a ceremony attended by the commander of the Turkish Navy, Admiral Ilhami Erdil, and Albanian President Rexhep Meidani. Among the reforms the EU will require Albania to implement as part of the agreement will be consolidating the independence of the judiciary, adopting further measures to fight organized crime, securing a stable supply of energy, and boosting domestic investment and the creation of jobs. Bin Laden Network Boosts Kosovo Rebellion

Macedonia will conclude with the bloc in November. T301, T43. FIGHTERS: 90 Albanian Foreign Minister Paskal Milo said that determining the future of the ethnic Albanian majority in Kosovo would be the most important aspect of relations between Belgrade and Tirana. The Greek government sent an official delegation of parliamentarians to Himare to monitor the voting. Over the last year, Albanians have endured significant power cuts, almost daily, as five aging hydroelectric power plants, which generate about 95percent of the country's electricity, have failed to keep up with demand. Tirana Considers Increasing Military Force in Iraq Parliament approved the candidacy of Ermelinda Meksi, a former minister of economy, as well as economic cooperation and trade, for the positions of Minister of State for European Integration and Deputy Prime Minister. February 2000 With this funding the U.S. assisted the Government of Albania with the destruction of a stockpile of chemical warfare agents left over from the communist regime (Category 1, Total amount 16.7 tons). Nano has been prime minister since July 2002, following five years of short-lived governments and political bickering between Berisha and the leadership of the ruling Socialist Party. TOWED ARTILLERY: 500 U.N. officials hope the program, which will also create jobs, will result in the collection of some 10,000 assault rifles and pistols believed to be in the hands of about 50,000 villagers in 100 villages in the Gramsh district of central Albania. Majko faces major challenges in restoring political stability, addressing security issues, improving an economy that has little foreign investment, fighting organized crime, corruption, and smuggling, and dealing with issues associated with the influx of some 200Kosovar refugees into northern Albania. Some 30 soldiers will remain to continue training an Albanian rapid deployment brigade. A/A ARTILLERY: N/A However this new structure lasted a little more than 3 years and on April 2010 returned to its classic and current form. FT-2, FT-5, CJ-5. Gen. Viktor Berdo. Several days of rioting followed, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Fatos Nano and the installation of Pandeli Majko as prime minister. Americans in Albania Excluded from Prosecution by International Criminal Court It has taken Albania two years to meet the conditions set by the EU for starting SAA negotiations. Its commander-in-chief was King Zog; its commander General Xhemal Aranitasi; its Chief of Staff was General Gustav Mirdaic. Albanian citizens have opened their homes to more than 260,000 of these refugees, with the remainder being sheltered in camps set up by international and national relief organizations. Assisting the community in cases of humanitarian emergencies; supporting Search and Rescue Operations(SAR). [3], Albanian, U.S. and Romanian soldiers in a joint drill, Albanian soldiers react to rioters, roleplayed by US forces, during KFOR, Albanian and US soldiers dismounting a M2 Bradley during Combined Resolve II, Albanian Land Force in Combined Resolve III, Female Albanian soldier aiming her M4 Carbine, A British Royal Marine posing with an Albanian Commando (right), both showing their shoulder patches, http://www.gazeta-shqip.com/lajme/2015/09/12/sulmet-nga-terrorizmi-shqiperia-do-te-bleje-raketa-ne-nje-rreze-70-km/, "Speech of Minister Kodheli held in the Parliament session of September 25, 2014", "Forcat e Armatosura shqiptare 6 vjet n NATO", "Trajnohen nga specialistt amerikan, instruktort e par t pushks M-4 dhe pistolets Beretta PX Storm n FT", "Sako TRG-42 The quest for cold-bore accuracy stops here. The unit will operate under U.S. command. October 1998-November 1998 Majko served as secretary general of the ruling Socialist Party before becoming prime minister of Europes poorest country.

He did, however, achieve a degree of political reconciliation between the government and the opposition Democratic Party, which had feuded during Nanos administration, leading to a 10-month boycott of parliament by Berisha. The prime minister offered to work closely with the U.N. mission and NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo to fight illegal trafficking and organized crime. Included in the above number are: Turkeys KENT Bank has bought a 60 percent stake in Albanias National Commercial Bank, the first state-owned bank to be privatized, and KURUM, a Turkish steel-maker, is participating in steel production in the country. Saudi Businessman in Tirana Found Linked to Al Qaeda The minister supported Albania's proposal to establish an international center in its Adriatic port of Vlore to enhance anti-smuggling efforts in the region. As the communist regime collapsed in Albania during 1990, there was a real fear that the armed forces might intervene to halt the collapse of communism by force. Belgrade severed relations with Tirana in March 1999, when NATO began its bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in an effort to halt Serb repression in Kosovo, which has an ethnic Albanian majority. Fjal kye: NATO, NIko Peleshi, Russian aggression against Ukraine. The countries work together to advance democracy and economic prosperity in the member countries and further the integration of the region into European and Euro-Atlantic structures. Macedonia and Italy, in building a 1.6-mile road in the Mati River basin as part of the exercise, which was named "Cornerstone 2001." Albania was the 32nd country to conclude a bilateral agreement with Washington protecting U.S. citizens, particularly those taking part in peacekeeping activities, from extradition to the court on grounds that they could be exposed to politically motivated prosecution. Sangaris opration militaire Rpublique Centreafrique. The alleged incidents occurred in the southern border town of Himare, where the ruling Albanian Socialist Party claimed victory in a runoff it said was free and fair, while asserting that visiting Greek politicians had pressured voters to cast their ballots for the Greek minority party, the Union for Human Rights Party. The troops will maintain the supply line between the Albanian port of Durres on the Adriatic Sea and the town of Kukes on the Kosovo border, and will carry out infrastructure work, including repairs to the Durres-Kukes road. Some $20 million of the $45 million structural adjustment loan from the World Bank will be made available to Tirana in 1999 and will be added to the $30 million public expenditure support loan approved by the Bank in May. " Majko was replaced by the deputy prime minister, Ilir Meta, appointed as head of government by leaders of the ex-communist Socialist Party. Gafur Adili, believed to be the political leader of the group, which has claimed responsibility for attacks in Macedonia, Kosovo, and south Serbia's Presevo Valley, was placed on an economic blacklist in 2002 by the United States, which accused him of promoting instability in the Balkans. He also visited a military hospital in the southern Albanian town of Gjirokaster, which was built by Greek armed forces with $2.6 million donated by the Greek defense ministry to serve both Albanian army personnel and Albanian civilians. The opposition Democratic Party of former president Sali Berisha boycotted the runoff, claiming a manipulation of results of the first round on October 1an allegation denied by international observers. U.S. Since the conflict in Kosovo began six months ago, Albania has accused Serbian forces of repeatedly violating its border through illegal crossings by ground troops and incursions by helicopters into its airspace in pursuit of Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) separatists. Papantoniou visited a 100-member Greek military contingent stationed at an Italian-led NATO ground facility in Durres, which provides logistical support for NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping troops in Kosovo. The size of Albania's Greek minority is disputed since many of the 300,000 to 800,000 Albanian citizens living and working in Greece are ethnic Greeks. Political Rivalry Sparks Unrest, Violence During Meta's two years in office, the economy grew by over 7 percent a year, the highest rate in the Balkans, with inflation standing at 3.5 percent in 2001. Some 4500alliance troops, scaled back from the force of 8,000 NATO soldiers assisting the U.N.-led relief operation for Kosovar Albanian refugees, are scheduled to leave Albania by the end of August. In meetings with Yugoslav Prime Minister Dragisa Pesic and other officials in Belgrade, Milo urged that Kosovar Serbs be encouraged to participate in the November elections in Kosovo to advance democracy in the province. July 29, 2002 The financial burden of the refugees and the disruption in trade resulting from the conflict are expected to severely strain the fragile economy of the country and its weak state institutions. Political Struggles Widen Power Vacuum The facility is also staffed by 1,100 Italians, 40 Turks, and small troop contingents from other NATO countries. Yugoslavia has long accused Tirana of backing separatist Albanians in Kosovo. Washington, D.C. - Albania has become the 138th member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), a step that will boost overall trade by reducing tariffs and will attract investment to the country. Included in the above number are: Ermelinda Meksi, a former minister of economy, as well as economic cooperation and trade, is taking over the European integration ministry and will also serve as deputy prime minister. New Trans-Balkan Pipeline Project The Albanian Navy performs mainly Coast Guard duties, and recently the Albanian parliament has approved some amendments to the articles of the actual Law on the Coast Guard in Albania, in order to improve the necessary legal framework due to efforts at European Union-NATO integration. In the absence of buyers, possibly movie studios or collectors, the equipment will be scrapped. Belgrade broke off diplomatic relations with Albania last year during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. Included in the above number are: Macedonia border or in Bosnia are among the options that have been discussed. 11 Die on Albanias Beaches, Protests Start at Tourism Ministry Over Lack of Lifeguards, 42% of Albanians Want to Emigrate to EU, US, AADF Allocates $500 Million for Durres Amphitheatre UNESCO Application.