Prime Minister Edi Rama from the meeting of the leaders of Southeast Europe that is being held in Skopje, with the presence of the Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said that he wants to proceed with the request for co-financing for the new NATO naval base in Porto Romano. 

He said from the joint conference that through this naval base, NATO will gain another access to Southeast Europe. 

The Prime Minister confirmed Albania's position as a responsible member of the Atlantic Alliance, as well as emphasized that it will continue to commit to capacity building. 

"I would like to emphasize the request that Albania's application to co-finance with NATO the new NATO naval base in Porto Romano, be processed as soon as possible, because we strongly believe that everything that happens step by step strengthens the strategic value of such an investment, not only for Albania and the region, but also for NATO itself, which will gain another quick access to this side of Europe just in case. 

With the 2024 budget, Albania has also met the 2 percent defence financing objective as laid out by the NATO table for all member countries, and we will continue to be very committed to strengthening our capacity and increasing the efficiency of our armed forces. We remain on the general front of NATO, a responsible and steadfast member in all common challenges," he said.