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Exclusive report by Gjergj Thanasi (Albania-Iran arms deals)

The following report by the acclaimed Albanian journalist Gjergj Thanasi, deals with the issue of arms transactions of a peculiar nature between Albania and Iran a few years ago.

According to the reportage and the findings that include verified and cross-checked official transcripts, Albania sought armament cooperation with Iran and in fact imported weaponry, which in turn was omitted from being added to the country's inventory.

The journalist in his painstaking research provides exclusively through the International Analyst Network, some initial findings that reveal a wider nexus between the two states, which can be read in conjunction with a recent report by the writer: "Albania, Hezbollah and the labyrinth of international illegal arms trafficking", (http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id=3482).

As it is mentioned above, the whole story is backed with original documents and primary sources, and the present exclusive report is a small part of the wider story, that truly reveals yet another angle of the present day reality both in Europe and in the Middle East and may have wide-range ramifications if all parameters are to be included.

Albania, a NATO member and its Iranian bedfellow

By Gjergj Thanasi

Immediately after Albanian premier Sali Berisha and his minister of defense Fatmir Mehdiu came to power they encouraged military contacts and relations with several pariah states and non states entities, internationally labeled as terrorist organizations. One of the most notorious cases  of such strange bedfellows is Iran and its contacts with MEICO the Ministry of Defense of Albania owned company , which up to late 2009 had the monopoly of import- export and transit of weapons, ammunitions, military equipment and dual use materials.

Ministry of Defense owned MEICO and the Iranian Ministry of Defense owned MODELEX have a rather long and profitable relation.

According to the official documents we have consulted, Albania has exported to Iran explosives and mortar mines and imported C4 explosive, detonating cord , and also discussed the import of assault rifles, different types of machine guns, grenade launchers, SAM MAN-PAD missiles, UAV drones of different kinds, communication gear etc. The military cooperation between Albania an actual NATO member and Iran, pariah state ranges from 100 tons of RDX explosive available for export to Iran, to attempts to import Ababil and Mohajer drones or Misagh Iranian made MANPAD missile.

At first glance, one can wrap the whole story as a misguided operation on the part of ardent patriots, who are ready to collude even with the devil desperately trying to improve the defense of their country.

Unfortunately this is not the case. On 25 Oct. 2005 only fifty days after Mr. Berisha was sworn as premier Mr. Ylli Pinari the director of MEICO contacted Mr. Rrahmani the product marketing manger of MODLEX  inquiring about the purchase of a range of weapons such as 500 PKM machine-guns,50 PKT machine-guns,3.5 million rounds of 7.62x54 mm ammunition for PKM machine-guns, 400 pieces of 25/30 grenade launchers and their accessories, 1000 AKM assault rifles equipped with 25/30 mm grenade launchers and 100 000 pieces of AKM assault rifles.

Since the spring of 1991 the Albanian army has been exporting, donating and destroying most of the items in the shopping list of MEICO. Millions and millions of 7.62x55mm rounds of Soviet, Chinese and Albanian production have been destroyed, exported or donated to the friendly governments of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Why should they try to import 9.5 million rounds in 2005 when they exported, donated and destroyed over 60 million rounds of surplus ammunition from 2006 to 2008? The same goes for PKM and PKT machine-guns, such soviet made weapons or their Chinese clones part of the communist legacy of Albania have been widely exported or destroyed.

Why should MEICO import the Iranian clones of the same machine-guns it exported or destroyed?

 The case of 100 000 pieces of AKM assault rifles is even more problematic. For almost 15 years Albania has exported, donated or destroyed tens of thousands of soviet made AK 47, model 56 Chinese clones or ASH assault rifle an Albanian product very similar to Iranian AKM assault rifles.

The very figure of 100, 000 pieces raises doubts too. In case of war, NATO expects no more than 70, 000 Albanian troops. Therefore, Albania exports, donates or destroys assault rifles similar to AKM, and has quite a large stock of them to cover the needs of its armed forces and at the same time attempts to import 100,000 more pieces of such assault rifles for a mobilized army of no more than 70, 000 men and women.

The only logical explanation is: Import to re-export. This is precisely the problem. This short report deals only with this particular instance of Albanian-Iranian military cooperation.

The other items such as missiles, UAV drones and C4 explosives cause much more concern. Such imports from Iran have never been stored in the ammunition deports of the Albanian armed forces. We are quite positive that they were imported, but we do not know what happened to them after their importation to Albania.

Their present storage is not known. Were they sold to legitimate buyers or they just found their way into the hands of terrorists?

We know that at least some of these imports really happened because of the transport bills covering the cost for their transport from Iran to Albania.

On 15Dec.2006 MEICO paid 27,400$ and 47,00$ as transport cost for goods imported from MODLEX. These payments were done after a deal signed by the director Mr. Pinary during his visit in Iran in late November 2006.This was an official visit according to the order number 1367  date 26 Oct. 2006 signed by the Defense Minister Mr. Mehdiu. The decision of the Managing Board of MEICO number 173 date 23Nov.2006 states that all expenses of such a visit (airplane tickets, hotel vouchers, daily expenses etc.) are paid by MEICO.

A present day NATO member which develops and maintains substantial military ties with a problematic theocracy, raises doubts about the commitment of the government to NATO values. The disappearance of Iranian weapons and equipment after being imported to Albania raises the alarm about their true destination.

The transit through Albanian territory of weapons and ammunitions from Bosnia to Middle East and the meddling in such deals of Bosnian figures, such as Hasan Cengic and Naser Oric changes the alarm into an emergency.