On this occasion, there was held a ceremony in the premises of the unit. Attending the event was President Bajram Begaj, Minister of Defense Pirro Vengu, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Arben Kingji, as well as generals of the General Staff.

In his remarks, Minister Vengu said that, “The 60th anniversary of the Support Battalion is a particularly high point in the history of this unit due to the fact that it has accompanied all the stages of the transformation of the Armed Forces in the history of modern Albania, but also the highlights and shadows of our state-building, especially during the transition period”.

Vengu also emphasized the responsibility of this unit for the security of the capital and critical infrastructure.

Vengu also focused on a second element which had to do with the fact that this battalion has also served as a command school for the Armed Forces.

“It is no coincidence that a good part of the leaders of the Armed Forces have come out of this battalion”, said Vengu.

In closing his speech, Vengu thanked all the commanders, the leaders of the battalion “who over the years have remained particularly loyal to the transformations that this battalion has undergone and who have invested in supporting us in terms of increasing its strength, modernization, I thank you for the contribution you have made”. /m.q/r.e/p.s./

The President praised the contribution made over the years by members of this elite unit of the Armed Forces.

“The creation of this battalion 25 years ago was not only a necessity of the time, but also a natural consequence of our Euro-Atlantic vision. Your battalion was our first step in the course of efforts to become part of the most successful military alliance in the world at the time”, said Begaj

In his capacity as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Albania, President Begaj expressed his gratitude to this battalion for its involvement in missions and operations from combat, peacekeeping and up to humanitarian ones.

The units of this battalion have served successfully in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina, giving Albania the dignity as a member of the NATO.

“Wherever you have served abroad, in Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iraq and Afghanistan, or within the country to help the population during civil emergencies, you have promoted the name of Albania as a worthy member of the NATO and your names as professionals in the first line of security”, said Begaj.

The President also thanked the strategic partners for the upgrade of the Special Forces Battalion.

Referring to the latest developments in the field of regional and international security, the President said that the consequences of these conflicts have the potential to spread to other regions. The head of state appreciated the contribution that NATO makes through the KFOR mission for maintaining peace and security in Kosovo and in the region.

“We will continue to build multilateral relations, develop strategic partnerships within the Euro-Atlantic framework and preserve our sovereignty, promoting peace and harmony. The role and contribution of the armed forces in maintaining peace and security is of exceptional importance. Therefore, investing in you is a direct investment in the security of the country, in our common future”, emphasized Begaj.

President Begaj reiterated the stance that Albania remains a contributor to peace and security in the region with an undisputed orientation towards the Euro-Atlantic alignment. /r.e/p.s./

He stated that they have shown excellent performance in all phases of training, including troop deployment and response to various situations on the battlefield.

Today, Peleshi shared photos from the “Mnela-23” military exercise in the social media.

“The first infantry battalion tested operational capacities in the military exercise “Mnela-23″. The troops of the Vau i Dejës battalion demonstrated a high level of preparation from the deployment phase to the situations in the battlefield,” wrote Peleshi.

The “Mnela-23” exercise is an important component of military preparation, providing a platform to assess and advance troops’ capabilities in many aspects of military operations.

In this case, the troops of the 1st Infantry Battalion have shown that they are ready and able to face the tasks and challenges that appear while participating in military operations./p.s./

Peleshi expressed his gratitude to the Support Battalion officers who have contributed over the years.

“57 years since the creation of the Support Battalion, an important part that guarantees the activity of the Armed Forces. Gratitude and appreciation for the work of every officer over the years that gives dignity and prestige to the Armed Forces”, he said.

The Support Battalion is one of the elite units of the Armed Forces. Its mission is to protect and support the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff in all the various military activities, at home and abroad, in times of peace and war.

This creation of this battalion dates back to 1955. In the beginning it was a company and then in 1965 it was transformed into the Security Battalion of the General Staff under Commander Diko Zeqo, who led this battalion until 1978. After the 1990s this unit was called the General Staff Support Battalion, a name it still holds today./r.e/p.s./

Minister of Defense Niko Peleshi posted today a video which shows the training of these troops in extreme weather conditions.

Peleshi said that the exercises were conducted for 72 hours non-stop in Puka.

This exercise was conducted to test operational capabilities and practice new skiing techniques and other actions in the opponent’s background.

The commandos tested skills in mountaineering, skiing, overcoming obstacles and shooting.

“Troops of the Commando battalion challenged the extreme weather and mountainous terrain for 72 hours without interruption in Puka, to test operational capabilities and practice new skiing techniques and other actions in the enemy’s background,” said Peleshi.

While Colonel Arben Zani said in the video that, “Currently, we are in the Bicaj region of Puka with the Commando battalion. The purpose of these exercises is first of all to test the logistical capabilities, i.e. transport and deployment over a long distance, as well as to perform operations and tasks in the background of the opponent.

“The training has different elements, overcoming obstacles, performing various tasks, such as ambushes and destroying and hitting objects,” said Zani.

He said that, “The exercises last 72 hours, without setting up camps, so the soldiers are obliged that with all their capacities, materials and equipment to survive 72 hours”./p.s./

In his speech, Balla said that in the Second World War, the Albanians, as well as other peoples of Europe and beyond, with the heroic partisan war, engaged in a great, militant and bloody effort, as allies on the side of the great anti-fascist coalition.

“If today, we are proud that Albania during the Second World War sided with the anti-fascists, the victors, and the great front of freedom, this is the merit of the Albanian partisans, these knights of liberation and freedom,” said Balla.

According to Balla, our small Albania became a great ally of the anti-fascist coalition. Great for the extraordinary price of blood Albania paid and the innumerable human sacrifices.

Further on, during his speech Balla stressed that these 30 years there has been a continuous effort to intentionally throw mud at Anti-fascist National Liberation War.

“They started it with the attempt to question the day of liberation and then with other attempts to diminish the pride that comes from the partisan war and yet in these 30 years no one has managed to throw mud on the National Liberation War of the Albanian people”, said Balla. /j.p/r.e/p.s./