Chief of the General Staff of the Albanian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Arben Kingji, took part in the Chiefs of Staff Conference of the US-Adriatic Charter (A5) initiative in Zadar, Croatia.

Croatian Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Tihomir Kundid and Commander of the US European Command General Alexus Grynkewich co-chaired the conference.

The meeting focused on “Delivering Regional Benefits.” Participants stressed the importance of multilateral cooperation, stronger military capabilities and greater interoperability to support security and stability in Southeast Europe.

During the conference, participants adopted the A5 Standard Operating Procedure for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.

The voluntary and non-binding framework aims to improve coordination, information sharing and interoperability among A5 countries. It also supports practical cooperation during humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters.

Kingji said the countries aim to turn joint commitments into concrete results.

“Through these joint commitments, we aim to turn multilateral investments in defense, training and capacity development into concrete results and operational capabilities in support of regional security,” Kingji said.

He also identified Corridor VIII as a strategic priority for Albania.

“Our goal is to increase the capacity of the transport network and integrate military mobility requirements into infrastructure planning, while maximizing the dual-use potential of investments,” Kingji said.

He also referred to the Letter of Intent on Military Mobility, which Albania, Italy, Bulgaria and North Macedonia signed at the NATO Summit in Washington in July 2024.

According to Kingji, the initiative aims to enable the rapid and flexible movement of forces and equipment across the territories of the signatory countries.

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