EXCLUSIVE/ Albania, financing project with the Pentagon! - Defense Minister Pirro Vengu speaks
Albania is in talks with the Pentagon to be included in a funding program that will enable the realization of the necessary investments to increase firepower, anti-aircraft defense systems, etc. This was announced by the Minister of Defense Pirro Vengu in the DATAROOM show on SCAN with journalist Kreshnik Kuçaj. In this way, Albania can follow the model initially followed by Poland and recently also by Romania.
"Air defense is a significant, expensive step to take. Therefore, the innovation of the budget that we will approve foresees the possibility that we can also receive foreign financing.
There are some recent instruments that are very interesting, mainly from our strategic partners, the United States of America. We are in talks with the Pentagon and the structures of military cooperation, so that we can also benefit from the possibility of soft loans given by the United States for increasing the capacities of our forces.
We are talking about firepower, systems, real investments. They are interesting instruments from the point of view of financial ease, the guarantee offered. They are soft loans, practically.
Some allied countries have undertaken these initiatives and have progressed at a satisfactory pace in terms of investments. Poland has pioneered this opportunity with the United States of America.
Likewise, Romania recently. And I believe that Albania will also have to go through this phase", declared Vengu.
For the first time, during 2024, Albania fulfilled the guideline established in 2014 by NATO for member countries to reach the level of 2% of GDP as defense investments. Even in 2025, in the budget being discussed in the Assembly, it is predicted that this figure will increase further. The list of investments includes air defense systems, military transponders, ground-to-air communication systems, military equipment, warships, civil emergency aircraft, etc.
Poll
The strangest facts about Elon Musk that you may not know!
America has spoken and season 2 of Donald Trump's Presidency is underway. His cabinet is taking shape, with Trump announcing that Elon Musk and former GOP......
How could Europe's largest economy lose under Trump's plans?
The German economy, although still the largest in Europe, could be disrupted by the policy agenda of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised high......
The rare 300-carat diamond necklace is sold for 4.5 million euros at an auction in Geneva!
An extremely rare 18th-century diamond necklace, possibly linked to a scandal that played a role in the downfall of France's 18th-century queen, Marie......
Shell gas stations enter the Albanian market - The agreement is signed, more products and services for citizens
A cooperation agreement was signed with the Coral company, licensed by the Shell brand, to open the first stations in Albania. According to the agreement,......
Why can Canada become a nuclear power 'superpower'? - Uranium reserves and demand growth, the main factors of dominance
Canada has the potential to become a global leader in nuclear energy thanks to its rich uranium reserves and growing demand for this energy source. The......
Farmers oppose the prospect of the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement!
European farmers took to the streets of Brussels on Wednesday to demonstrate against a free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur,......
IMF: The free exchange rate regime, the right choice - the Head of Mission in a meeting with Governor Sejko, evaluates the monetary policy of BSH
The International Monetary Fund has evaluated the choice of the Bank of Albania to maintain a free exchange rate regime. Recently, the Governor of the Bank......
Calculation of the loan with pencil and paper - Tola: with the new interest rate we will save 300 thousand ALL in 20 years
If we want to get a 10 million Lek loan to buy a house, with the new 2.75% interest rate issued by the country's central bank, the total we will save is......
