(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel met with his Albanian counterpart Mimi Kodheli on Thursday, and thanked her government for their support of US missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon affirmed in a statement.
Spokesperson Rear Admiral John Kirby said Hagel is grateful for the "generous support to the Government of Iraq through resupply donations," and emphasized that "Albania has played a leading role in the international effort underway to resupply Iraq's Kurdish forces with ammunition and equipment needed in the fight against ISIL." He also said Hagel "noted Albania's support to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan, and thanked Albania for its commitment to the Resolute Support mission post-2014." The two leaders also "discussed Albania's defense reform efforts, including the Albanian officers who recently graduated from the New Jersey National Guard Officer Candidate School," Kirby added. "They agreed to continue to work together on building Albanian capacity for training and education." For her part, Kodheli "highlighted the Albanian Ministry's efforts to modernize the Albanian armed forces with NATO-standard weapons, and encouraged US defense investment in Albania," Kirby concluded.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.