The Albanian President, Ilir Meta, strongly condemned on Thursday the Russian aggression in Ukraine as he expressed his deep sorrow for the lives lost during the attack.

At the end of the meeting of the National Security Council this evening, he revealed what was discussed.

Below his full reaction: 

"After the escalation of the situation this morning, when the Russian military aggression in Ukraine started, I decided to convene the meeting of the National Security Council again, to make a reassessment of the situation since the last meeting of February 14, 2022 on this topic.

The Council discussed all the measures that will be taken to address this situation, in full coordination with allies and partners, both in terms of our international commitments and in relation to security in our country and in the Western Balkans region.

On this occasion, once again, I strongly condemn Russia’s military attack on Ukraine, an independent and sovereign state.

This unprovoked and unjustifiable escalation constitutes a serious violation of international law, the UN Charter, the Minsk Agreement, the Budapest Memorandum, and undermines security and peace throughout Europe.

As President of the Republic and on behalf of the Albanian people, I express my deep sorrow for the lives lost during this attack, and wish a speedy recovery to the injured. In these dramatic moments, I also express our full solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and its democratic institutions.

The Republic of Albania, as a member of NATO, and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, joins the calls of the Alliance and the international community to Russia to immediately abandon this path of violence and aggression, to respect the international right of humanitarian aid, and return to the path of dialogue.

Albania stands in unison with NATO and the EU, and will implement all commitments made in the framework of common foreign policy and security".