Defence Minister Bošković signs in Shkoder agreement on cooperation in cross-border operations within Air Policing Mission

Shkoder, Albania (3 July 2018) -- Defence Minister Predrag Bošković and his Albanian counterpart Olta Xhacka signed earlier today in Shkoder the Agreement between the Government of Montenegro and the Council of Ministers of Albania on cooperation in ​​cross-border operations within the Air Policing Mission. The agreement was signed following a joint session of the Government of Montenegro and the Council of Ministers of Albania.

The agreement will allow the air force of Greece and Italy, who will be conducting the mission of protecting the airspace of Montenegro, to cross the state borders of Montenegro and Albania during the mission, thus significantly simplifying the execution of the Air Policing Mission.

The signing of this agreement represents another confirmation of the excellent bilateral relations of the two countries in the field of defence cooperation.

The mission of the protection of the airspace of Montenegro began on 5 June 2018, on the anniversary of NATO membership. Bearing in mind the limited national capacities, in cooperation with NATO and allies, it was decided that Italy and Greece will perform this mission for the Montenegrin needs, according to the model as regulated in Albania. Air Policing is a peacekeeping mission and is one of the biggest benefits of Montenegro's membership in the Alliance, since for these needs, Montenegro does not need to allocate special funds.