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Albania, Kosovo and Croatia will hold a joint military exercise this year under a declaration on defense cooperation signed in 2025, officials said Wednesday.
Arben Kingji, chief of the General Staff of Albania; Bashkim Jashari, commander of the Kosovo Security Force; and Tihomir Kundid, chief of the General Staff of Croatia, met in the northern Albanian city of Shkodra as part of a joint declaration signed March 18, 2025.
Albanian Defense Minister Pirro Vengu described the meeting as an important step under the trilateral agreement between Albania, Kosovo and Croatia.
“More military cooperation, interoperability and operational readiness,” Vengu wrote on social media platform X.
He said discussions focused on developing joint exercises and training to address security challenges and hybrid threats, adding that 2026 will host the first trilateral exercise in line with NATO’s Strategic Concept and Euro-Atlantic objectives.
Serbia’s Defense Ministry said the meeting poses a serious threat to peace and stability in the region.
In a statement, the ministry argued that the cooperation could have long-term security consequences and the potential to destabilize the Western Balkans, claiming the military initiative is perceived as pressure and a security threat to the Serbian people in the region.
Albania, Kosovo and Croatia signed the joint declaration on defense cooperation in 2025 and have since held periodic meetings under the framework. Serbia has previously voiced objections to the initiative.
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