US Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Albania Minister of Defense Olta Xhaçka. Photo: Facebook/xhackaolta

Albania‘s defence minister, Olta Xhacka, has offered US Defense Secretary James Mattis the option of establishing US military bases on Albanian territory, claiming that a US military presence was needed to counter Russian, Chinese and Iranian influence.

“I very kindly invite you to consider having Albania as a contact nation in the region,” Xhacka said, and added that “we have different ideas for making available our land, air and naval bases, but also our other capacities either bilateraly with US or by NATO”.

At a meeting on Tuesday in the Pentagon, the Albanian minister told Secretary Mattis that “apart from Russia’s intention to expend its influence with destabilisation actions, be that through their secret services or investments or other hybrid means or media propaganda, and scholarships, we also see an increase in intent and interest from other nations such as China or Iran”.

Fiercely pro-Western Albania joined NATO in 2009 and has participated in several coalition missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Apart from sending soldiers to Afghanistan, Albania had also donated 30,000 old Kalashnikovs to the Afghan government. Albania had also helped efforts to fight Islamic State, ISIS, by providing free Soviet-era weapons and ammunition to Iraqi Kurds. Albania has lost one soldier in Afghanistan.

Secretary Mattis has not replied formally to the offer of bases but thanked Albania for its support for the Western alliance.

“Albania had proven that the geographic size matters less than the size of its commitment,” Mattis said and added that “Albania punches above its weight as a NATO ally,” mentioning the high number of Albanian soldiers participating in foreign missions.

Albania has been criticised, however, for helping the CIA to cover its tracks in the rendition case of a German citizen, Khalid al-Masri.

Albania is one of few countries that maintains a 2003 bilateral immunity agreement with the United States, granting exemptions for US citizens from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.

The latest EU Progress Report published on Tuesday criticised the Albanian stance on the issue and called for Albania to withdraw from the agreement.

“Albania’s commitment to burden sharing comes at a time when Russia seeks to divide our alliance. Few nations have been more aware of Russia’s malign influence in the region than Albania,” Mattis said in the meeting.

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