Albania is offering NATO a naval base in a bid to boost value in the North Atlantic Alliance “in these difficult times”, the prime minister’s office said on Thursday.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said the Pasaliman naval base, 180km south of Tirana, could be an “added value” for the Alliance and that Albanian authorities have drawn up a plan to renovate it.
“In these dangerous times, I believe that the Secretary-General may consider having a NATO naval base in Albania,” Rama said in a speech on Wednesday.
The Pasaliman base below Avlona Bay was built in the 1950s, with the Soviet Union stationing 12 submarines there, at the only naval base in the Mediterranean. After the severance of ties between Tirana and Moscow in 1961, the “Pasaliman” continued to operate as a naval base housing four remaining Soviet submarines in Albanian territory as well as small military ships.
#Submarines #SubSunday Albanian Navy’s ex. Russian Project 613 / Whiskey class SSKs rotting away at Pashaliman Naval Base. From left: Tufani (331, ex. S-241), Trufeja (022, ex. S-360), Vetetima (024, ex. S-242) & Stormia (105, ex. S-358). pic.twitter.com/d4Wr1fezx1
– Saturnax 🇸🇰🇪🇺🇺🇦💪 (@ Saturnax1) September 13, 2020
The base was looted during the 1997 riots, when many Albanians lost their economies to failed “pyramid” investment schemes. Three of the submarines were sold for scrap, while the fourth remains at the naval base, with the government considering whether to turn it into a museum.
The “Pasaliman” was renovated by Turkey and has since been used as a naval base for some military ships patrolling the Ionian and Adriatic Seas.
NATO has also begun work to upgrade the former communist Kucove air base in Albania, 85km south of Tirana, that could be used for Alliance operations.
Source: Capital
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