The head of the Socialist Party Parliamentary Group, Taulant Balla, spoke to reporters about the approval, with 74 votes, of a $302 million loan agreement with the United States to finance the purchase of military equipment.
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Balla said the agreement was approved under an expedited procedure because there was a risk that the loan would not be disbursed in September. He added that this is the greatest support the United States has ever provided to Albania.
“In 104 years of relations between the two countries, this is the greatest support the United States has provided to Albania. The truth is that we have had a strong relationship with the United States and, above all, we followed an expedited procedure because, had we missed this week, we would have found ourselves in an even more difficult situation due to the parliamentary session, and the start of disbursement in the first days of September would have been called into question,” Balla said.
Balla also revealed that the President of the Republic, Bajram Begaj, had closely followed the process and negotiations between the two countries.
“I am convinced that we have done the right thing. The fact that the third party, the President of the Republic, who is also Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, closely followed the negotiations on this agreement demonstrates that Albanian institutions are fulfilling their duties. I do not hesitate to call it a historic agreement that strengthens Albania’s capabilities. For us, as the governing majority, the country’s security is of particular importance,” Balla said.
