About 8000 members of the Armed Forces have served in NATO, EU, UN missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Latvia, Mali, Sudan to Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Kosovo, underlined Saturday the Defense Minister, Niko Peleshi.

During his speech at the Socialist Party (SP) Congress, the Minister declared that Albania is a security exporter in peacekeeping missions and a factor of stability in the region.

Furthermore, he informed that the Armed Forces will soon enter a rapid process of increasing the reserve force, while emphasizing that Albania and the Western Balkans region are at a critical juncture in history.

"The historically western vocation of the Albanians materialized 13 years ago with NATO membership. Today, Albania is a security exporter in peacekeeping missions and a factor of stability in the region.

About 8000 members of the Armed Forces have served in NATO missions, EU, UN, from Afghanistan, Iraq, Latvia, Mali, Sudan to Bosnia and Herzegovina and of course in Kosovo.

This year, work began on the implementation of the NATO Tactical Air Base in Kuçova. In March, the Advanced Headquarters of the US Special Operations Forces in Europe was opened in Albania. Last year, Albania became the host country of "Defender 21", the largest exercise conducted in the last 30 years in the region.

As never before, the AF interacted with some 6,000 US and other NATO forces. As a result of Russian aggression, the security environment in Europe and on the Alliance's eastern border is threatened and unpredictable. Every square centimeter of Albania is safe and protected by the principle of collective defense of NATO.

We will enter into a rapid process of raising the reserve force. Restructuring AFA according to the West Point model will increase human capacity in the security service. The Armed Forces are developing capabilities for conducting military operations on land, sea, air and in cyberspace.

Major national projects, such as the construction of the new port in Porto Romano or the reconstruction of the Tirana-Rinas-Durrës railway and then the railway connection with North Macedonia and Greece, offer opportunities for high deployment and mobility.

Albania and the Western Balkans region are at a critical juncture in history. Breaking the security order comes with disadvantages and threats, but also with opportunities", declared Peleshi.