TIRANA, Oct 27 /ATA/ Minister of Defense, Niko Peleshi, stated on Thursday that the budget of the Ministry of Defense for 2023 is 116.6% higher than the budget of 2013.
In his remarks during the discussion in principle of the draft law “On the 2023” budget of the Ministry of Defense, at the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee for National Security, Peleshi stated that, “the important pillars on which the work of the Ministry of Defense structures will focus are the restructuring of the Armed Forces, the improvement of operational capacities, the re-establishment of the military education system as well as the improvement of training, infrastructure and modernization.”
“The MoD budget in 2023 is 116.6% higher than the 2013 budget and 261.2% higher in capital expenditures. So the investments compared to 2013 are 2.5 times higher in this budget,” said Peleshi.
“In the budget foreseen during 2023-2025, i.e. in the medium-term budget, the MoD aims to develop the necessary policies in the field of personnel, career promotion, treatment of the military, increasing transparency, accountability, modernization of the FA and meeting the objectives of NATO capacities,” emphasized Peleshi.
With regard to NATO’s target whereby 2% of GDP goes to defense, which must be achieved by 2024 and 20% of total spending must go to critical equipment and modernization, Peleshi said that, “this year we reach 1.85% through this budget, 29% of which will go to investments. Regarding the second objective or commitment of 20% that goes to modernization, we have reached and exceeded it because we are at 29%. But we need to go to 2% of GDP in 2024.”
Peleshi said that, “from July of this year, the salaries of all militaries, from the soldier to the generals, have increased by 30%.” It was an appropriate measure. Of course, this increase was not just for one year, it is incremental, so it has been covered in the budget during 2023 and beyond.”
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