Albania grants NATO permit to patrol its airspace

TIRANA, Albania

The government decided late on Wednesday (May 6th) to grant NATO permission to patrol its airspace until the Albanian air force starts patrolling it on its own. Parliament is expected to adopt the measure soon, without objections from the opposition. Albania joined NATO in early April.

In other news, the first group of 30 experts who will monitor the June 28th general elections arrived in Albania on Wednesday. Members of OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) mission will monitor all stages of the campaign, infrastructure preparations and media coverage. A total of 430 monitors from the OSCE/ODIHR are expected to arrive before the vote.