The Albanian government ordered troops to guard the country’s international airport and criticized the Chinese company that runs the facility on Wednesday, a day after armed robbers seized bags of cash that were about to be loaded onto a plane, ONA reports quoting Reuters.
The government would “no longer allow the security of citizens and the country’s image to suffer”, Defence Minister Olta Xhacka said of Tuesday’s robbery, which was the second time in three years the Tirana airport has been targeted in a heist.
She joined Interior Minister Sander Lleshaj in accusing Tirana International Airport (TIA), run by financial firm China Everbright Limited (CEL), of “persistent irresponsibility”.
“I have ordered members of the military police and the troops of the special army unit to be stationed along the security fence of the ‘Mother Teresa’ airport,” Xhacka said.
CEL rejected Lleshaj’s allegations of negligence, including that it had failed to notify the police of the break-in. The company said it had stepped up security measures since a similar robbery at the airport in June 2016.
“The airport does not belong to the Chinese, it belongs to all Albanians. It is a part of Albania’s territory and is protected by law by the State Police, as is every inch of this country,” CEL said in a statement.
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