The armed forces of NATO member countries and allied countries began today joint military exercises in Albania and other Balkan countries, the Associated Press and BTA reported.
The two-week Rapid Response 23 maneuvers are the second of three such exercises related to the multinational joint exercise DEFENDER 23. About 2,800 US soldiers and 7,000 soldiers from other countries, including Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece and Turkey, are participating in the maneuvers.
The multinational joint DEFENDER 23 exercise is aimed at building readiness and interoperability between the US and NATO allies and partners while demonstrating the US military’s ability to rapidly deploy troops and equipment to Europe, a statement cited by the AP said .
“This assurance of commitment to our allies deters those who would threaten peace in Europe,” the statement said.
Albanian President Bayram Begai said Tirana “is committed to the mission of a stabilizing factor in the Balkans and an exporter of security in the region and beyond.”
NATO member Albania hosted the joint exercise in 2021. These were the first such large-scale exercises held in the Western Balkans since World War II, AP recalls.
Some exercises are also taking place in neighboring Kosovo, which is not yet a NATO member, although the Kosovo government has made membership of the European Union a top priority.
Kosovo’s independence, declared in 2008, was recognized by the US and most Western powers, but not by Serbia and its main allies Russia and China.
Source: 24chasa
