Albania, wary of Russia, reopens Soviet-era air base to NATO
Albania, wary of Russia, reopens Soviet-era air base to NATO
KUCOVA, Albania, March 4 (Reuters) - NATO member Albania, which has no fighter jets of its own, opened a rebuilt Soviet-era air base to serve NATO aircraft on Monday amid an increased threat from Russia, Prime Minister Edi Rama said.
NATO has spent over 50 million euros ($54.26 million) on the Kucova Air Base to bolster its presence in the region. Airspace in the Adriatic country of Albania, which borders Greece to the south and Montenegro to the north, is protected by Italy and Greece.
The great problem with the whole “NATO is encroaching on Russia” is: you’re assuming that the countries are joining because they’re being forced to, just like they were forced into the USSR or Warsaw pact. Now, there was a verbal agreement that NATO wouldn’t expand into the east, and that is what makes it uncool. But not even close to being what Russia makes it out to be
Does it matter if Russia rightly or wrongly thinks countries are being coerced into NATO? If Russia were convinced and genuinely believed countries are willingly joining NATO it wouldn't change anything.
The issue is that they believe NATO is their antithesis, and that NATO coming closer is an existential threat. The how or why of countries joining NATO is irrelevant to that mindset.
There was an agreement that no non-German NATO troops would be east of Soviet/Russian troops in Germany. And they weren't. Russians took their good time to withdraw after reunification but they were allowed, as is proper, to do it without Americans between them and the eastern border.
(requiring no NATO troops at all would've been unrealistic as the NVA (East German army) got swallowed whole-sale by the Bundeswehr).