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NATO summit in Albania called into question

2026-07-01 14:42:08, Aktualitet CNA

As NATO leaders prepare for the summit in Turkey next week, the alliance's plans for a summit in Albania next year have been called into question.

Radio Free Europe has confirmed from sources that Tirana is not mentioned in the draft declaration for the NATO summit - to be held in Ankara next week - as the location where the next summit will be held.

Meanwhile, Reuters, citing sources, said that holding the summit in Tirana has been called into question due to resistance from the US administration and dissatisfaction among allied states with Albania's low defense spending.

The lack of mention of Albania in the draft declaration comes as European NATO members aim to prove to US President Donald Trump in Ankara that they have made progress on their defense spending commitments and aim to avoid a direct clash with the American leader.

One of Reuters' sources said that Albania's defense spending is such that if the NATO summit were held in this country in 2027, Trump might be angry.

However, the Albanian Government said it has approved changes to the 2026 budget, according to which, around 110 million additional euros will be allocated to the defense sector.

Minister of Finance, Petrit Malaj, told the media on Wednesday that, through changes to the budget, the Government will fulfill the commitments that Albania has in relation to NATO.

"Through this normative act, an additional 10.3 billion lek [about 110 million euros] will be allocated to the defense sector, guaranteeing that defense financing will reach 2.6 percent of Gross Domestic Product, in accordance with the objectives and needs of the army for modernization and increasing its capacities," he said.

The normative act detailing the changes to the budget has not yet been published, but the Albanian executive said it approved it on June 30.

In the 2026 budget, the defense sector, according to the normative act, benefited from 58.9 billion lek (625 million euros) or 2.12 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. According to the Albanian Ministry of Defense, half of the budget goes for capital investments aimed at technological modernization, the development of the 'Made in Albania' defense industry and the digitalization of combat units.

Meanwhile, when asked about the NATO draft declaration, a spokesperson for the Albanian Government said that "drafts are drafts, not decisions." This draft declaration is still being negotiated and may undergo changes.

The White House declined to comment, while a NATO official said they would not comment on the matter at this time.

In recent years, official NATO summit statements have made explicit reference to the location of the next summit. At the summit in The Hague last year, leaders said in their statement that they “look forward to meeting in Turkey in 2026 and then in Albania.”

At the same summit, NATO leaders responded to Trump's demand to commit to 5 percent of Gross Domestic Product in defense spending within a decade.

States have pledged to spend 3.5 percent of their Gross Domestic Product on basic defense issues – such as troops and weapons – and 1.5 percent on other defense-related measures, such as cybersecurity.

While many NATO countries have increased their defense budgets in recent months, some countries have yet to meet the previous 2 percent spending target.

NATO chief Mark Rutte said earlier this month that almost all alliance countries have reached the 2 percent target.

"Last year, Albania, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia did not achieve this, but they are committed to increasing spending above 2 percent this year," he said.

A European diplomat said that Albania could still host the summit.

"They are increasing spending, let's see what this will produce," the diplomat said, adding that "I still believe that the next summit will be in Albania."/REL