MONS, Belgium - Deputy Chief of Staff Operations at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Major General Barre Seguin awarded Lieutenant Colonel Roland Shuli of the Albanian Armed Forces with the NATO Meritorious Service Medal during a ceremony at SHAPE on May 25, 2020.
The award was issued on behalf of NATO’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, for outstanding service during NATO service.
In his speech, Major General Seguin praised Lieutenant Colonel Shuli as an "excellent ambassador of Albania and the Albanian Armed Forces in the international arena."
“Teamwork is one of the core values and strength of NATO, bringing together expertise from all members working together to guarantee the security of our Nations,” said Lieutenant Colonel Shuli.
An excellent ambassador of Albania and the Albanian Armed Forces
Lieutenant Colonel Shuli started working for NATO in August 2016, serving as Staff Officer for Operations at the Comprehensive Crisis and Operations Management Centre (CCOMC) for NATO Security Measures, and in 2018 headed the NATO Military Posture Review Section. Shuli also holds a master's degree in human resources from Gloucestershire University in the United Kingdom in International Human Resource Management and Development.
Deputy Chief of Staff Operations at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe Major General Barre Seguin awarded Lieutenant Colonel Roland Shuli of the Albanian Armed Forces with the NATO Meritorious Service Medal during a ceremony on May 25, 2020.
The NATO Meritorious Service Medal is the highest NATO medal awarded by the NATO Secretary General to a select number of military and civilian personnel serving under NATO command and control. The medal is awarded for recognition of distinguished and outstanding service to the Alliance.
This marks the first ever NATO Meritorious Service Medal awarded to an Albanian service member serving in the NATO Command Structure. Albania has been part of the NATO Partnership for Peace programme since 1994 and joined the Alliance as a full NATO member in 2009.
The North Atlantic Council (NAC) created the first NATO medal in December 1994, to appreciate the service of military and civilian personnel who were engaged in or supporting NATO operations in the former Yugoslavia. Two new medals were created for NATO operations in the Balkans between 1998-2001, until the first NATO operation in support of Article 5 in 2001, which also led to a review of NATO policy on medals.
The NAC decided to evaluate the outstanding services to the Alliance, the most distinguished military and civilian personnel, through the "Meritorious Service Medal", which was awarded for the first time in 2003.