Albania opens remodeled Soviet-era air base as hub for NATO jets

ROME — Albania reopened a refurbished Soviet-era air base on Monday which will host NATO jets as fears grow in the Balkans over creeping Russian influence.

Italian Eurofighters and U.S. F-16s and F-35s flew in for the inauguration of the base at Kucova, 50 miles south of the capital Tirana, which was formerly named Stalin City when Albania was allied with the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

“This is a base that (will add) another element of security for our Western Balkans region which we all know is endangered from the threat and neo-imperalist ambitions of the Russian Federation,” Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said during the opening ceremony.

Work on reopening the base started just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has gained urgency since as Moscow foments anti-Western sentiment in the Balkans.

The €50 million ($54 million) makeover of the Cold War-era base will allow it to support NATO logistics missions, air operations, training and exercises with a 1.2 mile runway, the alliance said.

“The makeover of Kucova air base is a strategic investment and shows that NATO continues to strengthen its presence in the western Balkans, an area of strategic importance to the alliance,” acting NATO spokesman Dylan White said.

Albania does not operate jet fighters but on Monday it flew its new Bayraktar TB2 drones at the ceremony. Tirana purchased three of the Turkish drones in 2022.

Albania joined NATO in 2009 and is pushing to join the European Union while fellow Balkan state Serbia has by contrast maintained close ties with Russia and China.

Moscow backs Serbia’s refusal to recognize Kosovo, a former province of Serbia which declared its independence in 2008.

Kosovo accused Serbia of backing about 30 gunmen who entered the Kosovo village of Banjska in September and killed a Kosovar police officer during a firefight .

“The terrorist attack in Banjska proved how fragile security is in our region and that there are actors who want to project the future through a past that shouldn’t return,” said Albanian president Bajram Begaj during his speech at the opening of the base.

Following the speeches, two F-16s and two F-35s from Aviano Air Base in Italy flew overhead while two Italian Eurofighters landed at the 860-acre base.

Kucova still hosts rusting MiGs and Antonovs left over from its days as a Communist base.

Albania’s decision to reopen the base for NATO use follows the establishment in 2022 of a forward operating headquarters for U.S. Special Operations in Albania.

On Monday, Albanian prime minister Rama said he also hoped to open a new naval base at Porto Romano in Albania for NATO use.

Tom Kington is the Italy correspondent for Defense News.

罗马——周一，阿尔巴尼亚重新开放了一座翻新的苏联时代空军基地，该基地将驻扎北约战机。与此同时，巴尔干地区对俄罗斯影响力日益增强的担忧也在加剧。

意大利的欧洲战斗机和美国的F-16和F-35战斗机飞抵库乔瓦，参加该基地的落成典礼。库乔瓦位于首都地拉那以南50英里处，在冷战时期阿尔巴尼亚与苏联结盟时，曾被称为斯大林城。

“这个基地将为我们西巴尔干地区增添另一项安全保障，我们都知道，该地区正受到俄罗斯联邦的威胁和新帝国主义野心的威胁，”阿尔巴尼亚总理埃迪·拉马在开幕式上说。

重新开放该基地的工作在俄罗斯入侵乌克兰之前就开始了，随着莫斯科在巴尔干地区煽动反西方情绪，这项工作变得更加紧迫。

北约表示，耗资 5000 万欧元（5400 万美元）对这座冷战时期基地进行的改造将使其能够利用 1.2 英里长的跑道支持北约的后勤任务、空中行动、训练和演习。

北约代理发言人迪伦·怀特表示：“库乔瓦空军基地的改造是一项战略投资，表明北约将继续加强其在西巴尔干地区的存在，该地区对北约具有重要的战略意义。”

阿尔巴尼亚没有喷气式战斗机，但在周一的仪式上，它试飞了新购置的Bayraktar TB2无人机。地拉那于2022年购买了三架土耳其产无人机。

阿尔巴尼亚于 2009 年加入北约，并正在努力加入欧盟，而与之形成鲜明对比的是，同为巴尔干国家的塞尔维亚则与俄罗斯和中国保持着密切关系。

莫斯科支持塞尔维亚拒绝承认科索沃，科索沃是塞尔维亚的一个前省份，于 2008 年宣布独立。

科索沃指责塞尔维亚支持约 30 名枪手，这些枪手于 9 月进入科索沃班斯卡村，并在交火中杀害了一名科索沃警察。

“班斯卡发生的恐怖袭击证明了我们地区的安全有多么脆弱，也证明了有些势力想要通过不应该重演的过去来塑造未来，”阿尔巴尼亚总统巴伊拉姆·贝加伊在基地启用仪式上发表讲话时说道。

演讲结束后，来自意大利阿维亚诺空军基地的两架 F-16 和两架 F-35 战斗机飞过上空，同时两架意大利台风战斗机降落在占地 860 英亩的基地。

库乔瓦基地至今仍停放着当年作为共产主义基地时遗留下来的锈迹斑斑的米格战机和安东诺夫轰炸机。

阿尔巴尼亚决定重新开放该基地供北约使用，此前美国特种作战部队于 2022 年在阿尔巴尼亚设立了前沿作战总部。

周一，阿尔巴尼亚总理拉马表示，他还希望在阿尔巴尼亚的波尔图罗马诺开设一个新的海军基地供北约使用。

汤姆·金顿是《防务新闻》驻意大利记者。