Defense Minister Ermal Nufi declared today that heads of state and government from member nations will determine the official date for the upcoming NATO summit in Tirana.

Speaking after today’s cabinet meeting, Nufi addressed questions regarding the summit’s organization, clarifying that member states dictate summit locations rather than the Alliance’s administrative body.

Specifically, Nufi noted that leaders previously established Tirana as a host city during the Hague summit rather than the Ankara summit.

Furthermore, he explained that the Alliance has yet to confirm whether the next gathering will occur in 2027 or 2028. Consequently, Albanian authorities will adjust their full operational measures once NATO confirms the precise date.

In the meantime, Albanian institutions have already initiated preliminary preparations. The ministry established a dedicated task force, taking cues from how other partner nations successfully managed previous international events.

Specifically, Nufi highlighted Ankara’s recent summit as an excellent organizational model. The task force will coordinate security, logistics, transportation, and inter-institutional strategy across all government sectors.

Addressing defense spending commitments, Nufi recalled key decisions from recent Alliance summits.

He reiterated that member states agreed during the Hague summit to raise defense expenditures to 5%. Subsequently, during the Ankara summit, member nations reviewed their progress, confirming a shared commitment to meet those targets.

Finally, Nufi stressed that the upcoming summit in Tirana will center on concrete measures to strengthen overall Alliance security and enforce decisions made by member states.

/a.c/