Pasha Liman Base

The Pasha Liman Base, or Pashaliman Base, is an Albanian Navy base south of Vlorë, Albania.

Pasha Liman Base
Vlorë, Albania
Pashaliman base from across the Bay of Vlorë
Pasha Liman Base
Pasha Liman Base
Coordinates40.323889°N 19.419167°E / 40.323889; 19.419167
TypeNaval Base
Site information
Controlled byAlbanian Navy
Site history
In use Albania
 NATO
 Turkey[1]

History

Cold War history

Pashaliman was the only Soviet base in the Mediterranean in the 1950s.[2] It was the hot spot of conflict between the Soviets and the Albanians in 1961 when Albania pulled out of the Warsaw Pact and the dispute of the four Whiskey-class submarine ownership which Albania had seized.[3] Following the collapse of the Communist regime, the base was rebuilt by Turkey and under a bilateral agreement the Turkish Navy has the right to use it.[1][4][5]

Modern history
Albania's Kronshtadt-class submarine chaser cruising off of Pashaliman

Three of the Albanian Navy's four Damen Stan patrol vessels were built at Pashaliman, the most recent completed in 2014.[6] Currently, four retired Whiskey-class submarines previously owned by the Soviet Union are still located on the facility alongside Albania's active-duty naval vessels. They can be seen via satellite images of the base.

The Naval Force often operates naval exercises in the Bay of Vlorë, out of Pashaliman.[7] This includes exercises with other nations, such as the United Kingdom.[8] The most recent exercise, Sarex '16, took place in April 2016.[9]

An Albanian-Turkish military cooperation agreement was signed in 1992 that encompassed rebuilding Albania's Pasha Liman Base by Turkey alongside granted access for Turkish use.[1]

Civilian facilities

A civilian naval engineering firm and shipyard also operate out of the military facility, providing a wide range of services.[10]

See also

References
  1. Larrabee, F. Stephen; Lesser, Ian O. (2003). Turkish foreign policy in an age of uncertainty. Santa Monica: Rand Corporation. pp. 94. ISBN 9780833034045. albania.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Gordon H. McCormick (1987). "The Soviet Presence in the Mediterranean" (PDF).
  3. Enver Hoxha (1984). The Khrushchevites.
  4. "Turkish army to rebuild Albanian port". reliefweb.int. 23 January 1998.
  5. "Brief History of the Turkish Armed Forces". www.tsk.tr. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  6. "Një anije e re i shtohet Forcës sonë Detare (A new ship is added to our Naval Force)". Albanian Ministry of Defense. 8 April 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  7. "Joint Exercise "Imposition '14"". Albanian Ministry of Defense. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  8. "Opening ceremony of the Joint Exercise "Albanian Lion"". Albanian Ministry of Defense. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  9. "Vlora Sarex 16" Exercise". Albanian Ministry of Defense. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  10. "Pashaliman Shipyard". Archived from the original on 2016-06-11.
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