Fatmir Mediu
Fatmir Mediu | |
|---|---|
Fatmir Mediu in 2006 during the meeting with Donald Rumsfeld, then U.S. Defense Secretary | |
| 30th Defence Minister of Albania | |
| In office September 11, 2005 – March 18, 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Pandeli Majko |
| Succeeded by | Gazmend Oketa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 January 1967 |
| Party | Republican Party of Albania |
| Profession | Politician |
| Signature | |
Fatmir Mediu (born 21 January 1967, in Durrës[1][2]) is an Albanian conservative politician. He is the current Chairman of the Republican Party of Albania,[3] and served as Minister of Defence from September 2005 to March 2008, and Minister of Environment, Forests & Water Administration.
Early life
Mediu was born on 21 January 1967 in Durrës, which was then part of the People's Republic of Albania.[4] In 1990 he graduated from the Faculty of Engineering, Mining, and Geology at Tirana University.[4]
Political career
In 2001, Mediu was elected a member of the Parliament of Albania, a position he held for four consecutive terms.[4] During his time in parliament, he served as Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Stability Pact and European Integration, and also served on the committees for foreign affairs, security, and legal issues.[5]
In September 2005 he was elected as Minister of Defence. In March 2008, Mediu resigned from his position as Defence Minister following a military ammunition explosion in Gërdec, a village outside of the capital of Albania.[6] The explosion killed 26 people, injured hundreds, and damaged or destroyed over two thousand homes.[7] He was succeeded by Gazmend Oketa. After several months of investigation in 2022, in January 2023, the Special Structure against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) found that he violated the law during his actions regarding Gërdec.[8] Mediu responded that SPAK did not have any additional evidence since the incident, and that the accusations were politically motivated.[8] He is currently on trial regarding Gërdec, where he is accused of violating Articles 248 and 25 of the Criminal Code alongside Article 70 of the Military Criminal Code.[8] He has continued to repeat accusations that the prosecutors and judges were acting unfairly regarding the face in 2025.[9]
In 2009 he was elected as Minister of Environment, Forests & Water Administration.[4] While Minister of Environment, he quietly oversaw the 2010 Albania floods in the Northern regions of the country, largely caused by poor forest management practices, illegal logging, and heavy rains. He was dismissed from the position in 2013.[4]
Sources
- ^ MEDIU, Fatmir Ali Archived 2012-05-13 at the Wayback Machine, Parliament of Albania
- ^ Jetlshkrimi Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Water Administration of Albania
- ^ Mediu, Fatmir (25 February 2016). "Dealing with ISIS threat in the Balkans". Europeanpost.co. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "MEDIU Fatmir". www.nato-pa.int. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Fatmir Mediu". europeanleadershipnetwork.org. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Albania minister quits over blast". BBC News. 18 March 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
- ^ "Albania: Minister Resigns After Deadly Blasts". The New York Times. Associated Press. 18 March 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
- ^ a b c "SPAK akuzon zyrtarisht Fatmir Mediun për 'Gërdecin': Shpërdoroi detyrën! Ish-ministri: Jam i pafajshëm, s'ka asnjë provë shtesë, e motivuar politikisht - Shqiptarja.com". Shqiptarja (in Albanian). 10 January 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Albanian ex-minister says prosecutors acting politically". Gazeta Tema. 27 October 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
External links
Media related to Fatmir Mediu at Wikimedia Commons