Albanian Minister of Defense, Pirro Vengu, described Belgrade’s reaction to the joint Albania-Kosovo-Croatia military exercise as “unjustified panic.”
“I follow the reactions — a kind of unjustified panic from the institutions in Belgrade. We continue our work. The trilateral cooperation is underway,” Vengu said.
He added that the three countries recently held a meeting with defense counterparts in Munich to coordinate next steps in defense procurement, noting that all three nations have similar needs. By working together, they aim to secure better and more cost-effective contracts. The collaboration also extends to the defense industry, including participation in fairs organized by Croatian colleagues, as well as joint training elements for their armed forces.
Vengu stressed that there has been no direct communication with Belgrade beyond the fact that the exercise invitation was extended to all countries in the region. “Unfortunately, they applied a policy of the empty chair,” he noted.
