Authorities from the Region Advance Knowledge of Weapons and Ammunition Management
The Regional Workshop on Weapons and Ammunition Management was organized by SEESAC in Tirana on 8-9 October 2024 under the framework of the European Union Council Decision (CFSP) 2019/2111, reinforcing the commitment by the region to combat illicit trafficking and possession of firearms.
Building upon the previous two regional Workshops, the event gathered representatives of Armed Forces and Ministries of Defence from Western Balkans jurisdictions and the Republic of Moldova, as well as several international partners working in the area of physical security and stockpile management (PSSM) in Southeastern and Eastern Europe (SEE), including representatives of Enhancing Human Security - ITF Slovenia, US Department of State, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement - US DoS PMWRA/MANPADS Task Force, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe - OSCE, and Centre for Security Cooperation - RACVIAC.
Representative of the Ministry of Defence of Albania, Mr, Colonel Leonard Kollçaku, Director of NATO and EU Policies, Mr. Davide Casale, Political Officer from the European Union Delegation Albania, and Mr. Aner Zukovic, Political Advisor at the Regional Cooperation Council, spoke at the Opening Session.
The authorities from the region shared and discussed the progress updates, priorities, challenges, and needs related to security and safety of weapons and ammunition storage, disposal of surpluses, and ammunition surveillance in their jurisdictions since the last regional workshop held in Skopje in September 2023.
Furthermore, good practices in building effective weapons and ammunition management capacities were presented by experts involved in implementing relevant activities on the ground. First, risks of diversion were elaborated on by UNDP/SEESAC, along with a regional threat review, statical data and examples, as well as measures to prevent proliferation from weapons and ammunition storages. The lesson was followed by an overview of challenges and good practices in the disposal of toxic wastes provided by the ITF, and an outline of the implementation of firefighting systems for enhancing ammunition storage safety and explosive risk mitigation, shared by the OSCE Mission in Moldova. Moreover, the US DoS PMWRA briefed on the US plan to counter illicit diversion of certain advanced conventional weapons in Eastern Europe and the ongoing lines of effort. Finally, UNDP/SEESAC provided an insight into the revised text of the Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap along with the timeline of the process, as well as an update on the support provided to strengthen PSSM capacities in SEE, including security upgrades of storages and evidence rooms, disposal of surplus SALW and ammunition and training.
To provide the workshop participants with a historical view of armaments from early to contemporary times, a visit to the new Armed Forces Museum, in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence of Albania, was organised on 9 October 2023, including an outdoor exhibition of military vehicles, artillery, planes, and naval vessels.