From April 15 to August 8, 1997, the humanitarian operation “Alba” was conducted in Albania, marking the second intervention in the country during the 1990s. Operation Alba was launched at the request of the Albanian government, with a United Nations Security Council mandate, to stabilize the situation following the collapse of pyramid investment schemes. The operation involved 7,215 troops from 11 European nations: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, and Italy, which led the mission under the command of Italian General Luciano Forlani. Operation Alba aimed to establish a secure environment for the distribution of humanitarian aid, support international organizations’ activities, restrict criminal gangs, aid in organizing free and democratic elections, and restore political stability. (In the photo: Italian forces of Operation Alba in Albania.)
Text: Encyclopedic Dictionary of Albania – Vol. 3, Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH,” Tirana, 2009, pp. 1885–1886.
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Graphic Processing: AHCF
