NATO Leader Praises Albania's Progress Toward Membership
06 July 2006
While more reforms needed, Scheffer sees commitment to trans-Atlantic values
Washington – As it progresses toward NATO membership, Albania has demonstrated its shared commitment to preserving security through active engagement, says NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.
“Let there be no mistake – there is still work to do,” Scheffer told the Albanian parliament, “But Albania is well on its way toward joining the NATO community, and it will be a very welcome addition.”
Scheffer’s July 6 address follows earlier stops in Macedonia and Croatia to commend all three southeast European countries for “impressive progress” toward implementing reforms outlined in their custom membership action plans (MAP) to qualify for invitations to join the trans-Atlantic alliance.
“The MAP enables your country to benefit from the alliance’s support and guidance to complete reforms in key areas; to stay abreast of the reforms which NATO itself is going through; and to ensure that you are able to make a meaningful contribution to the alliance as soon as you get on board,” he said.
The secretary-general highlighted Albania’s success confronting corruption and organized crime as part of a larger effort to strengthen the rule of law -- as articulated in its membership action plan.
The alliance, he said, views “the seriousness and determination with which Albania is pursuing the necessary reforms in a very favorable light,” and, given the country’s progress to date, members “are confident that this positive trend can and will be carried through.”
He called on the members of parliament to continue supporting further reforms, particularly ones aimed at improving the efficiency of Albania’s military and judicial system.
Scheffer also praised Albania for its contribution to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, its “very helpful, moderating role” in resolving regional security issues, such as the continuing efforts to establish the final status of neighboring Kosovo, and its consideration of joining joint NATO naval patrols of the Mediterranean.” (See related article.)
Scheffer said that these actions show that, “Albania shares [NATO’s] view that security today requires active engagement and solidarity,” and that “once it joins the alliance, it is going to be a reliable and active NATO member.”
The MAP, Scheffer said, “was, is, and remains a performance-based process,” but given Albania’s progress, it appears that membership “is clearly no longer a question of ‘if,’ but only of ‘when’.”
UNITED STATES SUPPORTS CANDIDACY ONCE REFORMS ARE COMPLETE
Over the past decade, NATO nearly has doubled in size as former communist countries in Eastern Europe have reformed, completed their MAPs and joined the alliance. In this regard, Scheffer said, “the enlargement process … shows how our values and our security interests converge.”
The issue of expansion will be discussed at the November 28-29 NATO summit in Riga, Latvia, although additional members will not be joining any time soon.
In May 3 congressional testimony, the State Department’s principal deputy assistant secretary of state for European affairs, Kurt Volker, said the United States would support membership invitations for Albania as well as Croatia and Macedonia in 2008, provided that those countries continue government reform efforts to comply with NATO’s political and military standards. (See related article.)
The new NATO, said Scheffer, is active on three continents: keeping the peace in Kosovo, working to stabilize Afghanistan, training troops in Iraq and supporting the African Union’s efforts in Sudan’s Darfur region. (See related article.)
Recent years have seen NATO moving even further from its traditional security role. The alliance also has been active in providing humanitarian assistance following the South Asian earthquake and Hurricane Katrina, even supporting security for the World Cup in Germany.
In 2003, Albania joined Croatia, Macedonia and the United States in signing the Adriatic Charter and affirming their commitment to the values and principles of NATO, as well as continuing U.S. support for their full integration into the trans-Atlantic community. (See related article.)
Albania also is among 10 members of the Southeastern Europe Defense Ministerial, a U.S.-supported regional initiative established in 1996 to serve as a bridge to Euro-Atlantic institutions, particularly NATO. (See related article.)
The full text of Scheffer’s speech is available on NATO’s Web site.
For more information, see International Security and Southeast Europe.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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