NATO member Albania, which has no fighter jets of its own, on Monday the 4th of March opened a reconstructed Soviet-era air base to host and service NATO aircraft in the face of a growing threat from Russia, Prime Minister Edi Rama said, reports Reuters.
NATO has allocated more than 50 million euros for the renovation of the Kucova air base to strengthen its presence in the Western Balkans
During the inauguration,
Rama welcomed the reconstructed base as “another element of security in the Western Balkans region,
which, as we are all well aware, is endangered by the threats and neo-imperialist ambitions of the Russian Federation”.
Two fighter jets flying from NATO’s Aviano air base in Italy landed in Kucova to mark the reopening of the base, the first NATO base in the Western Balkans.
The small town of Kucova was once known as “Stalin’s town” when Soviet and Chinese-made MIG aircraft were on standby to respond to orders in the event of war with the West.
Rama said that Austria, Germany, Italy and Denmark were the targets then, but “today we live in a different era and, fortunately, Albania is on the other side”.
Albania, which joined NATO in 2009, is also negotiating with NATO to establish a naval base in western Albania.
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