Netherlands to aid Albanian navy with Ђ11 million

Netherlands to aid Albanian navy with Ђ11 million

The Netherlands will grant Albanian navy aid worth Ђ11 million (US$16 million) to help the country to join NATO.

The package includes a military patrol boat and a new shipyard to build three more, ministry spokesman Igli Hasani said.

Albania which has small troop contingents in Afghanistan and Iraq hopes to be invited to join NATO at the organization's April 2008 summit in Bucharest, Romania.

The Dutch aid is part of an Albanian Ђ30 million (US$44 million) naval development project. The shipyard will be at Pasha Liman, 200 kilometers (124 miles) southwest of the capital Tirana, and would also support NATO vessels.