On Monday, Albania opened a recently renovated airbase supported by NATO, underscoring the alliance’s growing presence in southeast Europe at a time when regional tensions are high due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
As Russia continues to wage war in Ukraine, the facility is both a vital military buffer in Europe and the most recent sign of Albania’s westward push.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama emphasized during the opening ceremony that the base’s significance “extended beyond Albania’s borders”.
Located in an Albanian city formerly named for Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, the site was once home to dozens of Soviet- and Chinese-made planes left for years to rust in the open air on a former communist airbase.
The location in the center of the city, now known as Kucova, has been turned into a cutting-edge facility supported by NATO for the previous two years.
Four fighter planes performed a flyover and landing on the new runway during the inaugural ceremony, which was seen by diplomats and members of NATO.
