OSCE, Albanian Defence Ministry and Denmark begin destruction of ammunition
TIRANA, 12 April 2010 - Albania may dispose of its 90,000 tonnes of surplus ammunition by 2013 - two years earlier as originally planned - thanks to an OSCE Presence project inaugurated today to provide the necessary equipment to the Defence Ministry.
The Head of the OSCE Presence, Ambassador Robert Bosch, Albanian Defence Minister Arben Imami and Danish Ambassador to Albania Ankjær Jensen were in Mjekes depot in Elbasan today to inaugurate the operation of two industrial cutting saws, which will be used to destroy surplus ammunition. Four additional bandsaws have been installed at the Polican facility.
"This new equipment will double the Ministry's capacity to destroy surplus and outdated ammunition, thus helping to make Albania a much safer country to live in," Bosch said.
The Danish Ambassador, whose country has donated the bandsaws, said that the destruction of the ammunition was a very concrete break with the past. "It is also a symbol of the future and of the new partnership between two member countries of NATO," he added.
On behalf of the Albanian Government, Minister Imami thanked the OSCE Presence and Denmark's Government for the equipment.