The graduation ceremony for the Officer Training Course was held this evening at the Armed Forces Academy, where 67 young women and men joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania and the Republic of Kosovo. This marks another important milestone in the Academy’s journey of transformation in line with international best practices and Euro-Atlantic standards, preparing a new generation of service members ready to serve their country with professionalism, integrity and dedication.

Prime Minister Edi Rama attended and addressed the graduation ceremony, highlighting the progress made by the Armed Forces in recent years, the investments in infrastructure, salary increases and improved conditions for military personnel, as part of the vision for a modern, dignified army fully aligned with NATO standards.

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Prime Minister Edi Rama: I am very pleased to have the opportunity to be here this evening, together with the leadership of the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff, for this ceremony, which is undoubtedly an unforgettable day for the 67 women and men officers whom we are here to celebrate today. I would like to begin my remarks with congratulations and an expression of respect for all their parents who are present here.

I am convinced that, while this is an emotional moment for the young women and men who today embark on the path of service, it is an especially emotional moment for their parents, who see the culmination of a long journey of raising them well, educating them well and supporting their children through every sacrifice. Today, those children are servants of the homeland in uniform, servants in uniform of the Republic of Albania and the Republic of Kosovo.

The word ‘pride’ is one that could, in fact, be included in every sentence on an occasion such as this, but I do not exaggerate when I say that today is a proud day for the Armed Forces. It is undoubtedly a proud day for the Academy’s teaching staff and also for the General Staff, not simply because the Chief of the General Staff has just handed his son his diploma in a moving passing of the baton between careers, although his son will have to work hard for a long time and make many sacrifices before he can take his father’s place.

And even if that thought has crossed his mind, I assure him that we still need his father in that position for a long time to come. But this is a source of pride for everyone, because today I cannot help but remember the dramatic circumstances from which the revival and consolidation of our Armed Forces began. This field, which shines today and welcomes us at what may seem an unusual hour, was once an unusable dirt field. In fact, the contrast between how that field looked at the beginning and how it looks today symbolises the contrast between the way the Armed Forces are supported and motivated today, and the daily motivation they draw from attention and respect that are expressed not only in words.

Back when this field was nothing but a stretch of dirt, the Armed Forces were kept going solely by the passion, dedication, perseverance and military discipline of those who represented them. Yet they were the lowest-paid military personnel in our region, had at their disposal a budget that was laughable compared with what the budget of the Armed Forces should have been, and had no prospect of how things might change.

Today, our Armed Forces are the best paid in the region, and there will not be a single year in which we stop increasing their salaries, because our ambition is that, in Albania 2030, our Armed Forces will be paid at the average level of the forces of the North Atlantic Alliance.

At the same time, our care for military personnel goes beyond pay alone and beyond professional motivation through investment, because we are finally very close to fulfilling another commitment regarding their status. Everything is ready. We are in the final round of the ‘boxing match’ between the Minister of Defence and the Minister of Finance, but in this case, although I am required to act as referee, I am on the side of the Minister of Defence.

So, very soon, we will also be able to announce this long-awaited news for military personnel. And, without taking too much time, I would like to conclude by saying that military personnel were greatly undervalued for a long period, also because of a phase in our history when things changed abruptly, everything was lacking, and it seemed as though the army was no longer necessary because others would protect us. Yet, despite everything, military personnel continued every day to fulfil their duty and serve the homeland.

It is a life I try to imagine, but certainly no one who does not live it can fully understand the sacrifice it demands from those who wear the uniform, from their husbands or wives at home, and from their children, who are often left without them because duty may send them and call upon them to serve on difficult fronts and in difficult situations.

When I see today how this trend is changing and how the number of young women and men joining the ranks of applicants to become part of these Forces is increasing, I believe this is the clearest sign of a transformation that can no longer be stopped.

At the same time, I strongly believe that all military personnel who are nearing the end of their careers today have something very valuable to pass on to the younger generation: that spirit of sacrifice which seems abstract to many young people today, or which they cannot fully grasp. Those nearing the end of their military careers, however, have lived it for years and decades as a daily sacrifice beneath a uniform that should always have been admired, but which, for a considerable period, was undervalued.

I wish all of you present here every success and all the best, especially the 67 young women and men who received their diplomas today. Yet I cannot separate these wishes from my wishes of health, prosperity and everything their hearts desire for their parents and families, nor from my wishes of health, prosperity and everything your hearts desire for all of you standing before me as the exemplary face of the renewed Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania.

Thank you very much!