The agreements were concluded during the first joint cabinet session held at Villa Pamphili in Rome, overseen by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni. Defense Minister said the deals reaffirmed the depth of the countries’ strategic partnership and their commitment to regional stability.

I. Defense cooperation

The two Defence Ministers signed a cooperation agreement widening joint activities in training, interoperability, maritime security and operational readiness. A technical agreement for the transfer of two Italian patrol boats to Albania’s Coast Guard will strengthen maritime surveillance and search-and-rescue capabilities in the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, the Ministry said.

II. Defence industry partnerships

Albania described the industrial component of the agreements as an important step toward building a domestic defence industrial base aligned with the country’s broader technological and manufacturing ambitions.

State-owned company KAYO signed cooperation agreements with Italian firms Leonardo and Fincantieri covering advanced technologies ranging from munitions and command-and-control systems to maintenance of the Navy’s existing vessels and the production of new naval platforms for domestic and international markets.

III. Civil protection investments

Civil protection was another key pillar of the summit. Albania will receive a loan of 30 million euros for equipment, training and operational modernisation, along with a grant of 5 million euros for rapid response and risk mitigation.

These initiatives are complemented by a memorandum and a trilateral declaration between Albania’s National Civil Protection Agency (AKMC), AICS Tirana and Italy’s Civil Protection Agency, aimed at coordinating current and future civil defence and emergency projects.

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In a press statement after the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Kosovo’s Minister of Defence Ejup Maqedonci clarified that the agreement contains five key goals: defence planning and governance, human and defence resources management, building strategic military capacities, cooperation aimed at regional and international engagement, and strategic sustainability.

Maqedonci said that the U.S. will support Kosovo’s Defence Ministry on defence planning and governance with the aim of increasing civilian oversight and management of human and defence resources.

According to Maqedonci, the U.S. will assist Kosovo to bolster air defence and fleet and the efforts to improve civil preparedness.

Speaking about regional and international commitment, Maqedonci said that together with the United States, plans will be prepared for Kosovo’s NATO membership.

“Under this agreement, the U.S. has pledged technical, procedural support for Kosovo’s NATO membership bid, as well as in regional initiatives,” he said.

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Peleshi said that he and Sweden’s Defence Minister Jonson explored ways to boost bilateral defence cooperation following Sweden’s NATO accession.

Defence Minister said that he and his Swedish counterpart also discussed a possible defence and security agreement between the two countries to ensure a more structured and solid cooperation,

“We also discussed ways of a military industry partnership and Sweden’s support for Albania,” Peleshi said in a post on the social media.

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Maqedonci, on a visit to Türkiye at an invitation of his Turkish counterpart Yaşar Güler, said that their meeting was finalized with a major achievement.

“Talks focused on the military personnel exchange, military education and joint exercises, investment in defense and health treatment of Kosovo Security Force members in Türkiye, while the agreement we signed clears the path towards their implementation,” Maqedonci said.

Defence Minister added that military cooperation will contribute to peace and stability in the region and beyond.

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The Minister of Defence announced that the Kosovo Security Force’s enlisted pilots to attend theory and practical training at Farka Airfield in Tirana. The pilots will attend helicopter flight training program which is mandatory for the flight crews.

Albania-Kosovo defence cooperation includes a series of joint military exercises and experience sharing.

The search and rescue teams from Albania’s Armed Forces and Kosovo Security Force conducted a joint exercise in September this year.

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Defence Minister Niko Peleshi was received by his Slovenian counterpart Marjan Ŝarec during his Ljubljana visit to discuss defence cooperation and partnership, as well Slovenia’s support for Albania’s long path towards integration into the European Union.

Peleshi and Ŝarec praised the very good relations and cooperation between Albania and Slovenia not only in defence area.

At a joint press conference after their bilateral talks, Defence Minister Peleshi said that he briefed his Slovenian counterpart Ŝarec on most recent political developments in Albania, the country’s reform efforts and utmost commitment of the Albanian towards meeting its major goal of EU membership.

Putting emphasis on Albania’s  role in promoting good neighbourly relations, prosperity and democratic values in the Western Balkan region, Peleshi said that he had asked Slovenian Defence Minister and his country to continue supporting Kosovo’s bid to join regional initiatives.

Defence Ministers of Albania and Slovenia also exchanged ideas and agreed to boost defence partnership and cooperation.

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Albania’s Defence Minister Niko Peleshi met with his Latvian counterpart Artis Pabriks during the NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Zaventem, Belgium, and signed the agreement on security and defence cooperation between the two countries.

“The defence agreement between Albania and Latvia signed during the NATO  Defence Ministers meeting will further strengthen cooperation with the Baltic country, where Albanian troops contribute as part of the NATO mission in the country for several years now,” Defence Minister Peleshi said.

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