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Albania NATO Relations

In June 1992, Albania applied and was officially accepted by the Council of the North Atlantic Cooperation (NACC). December 1992, marked the first official visit by the President of Albania, Mr. Sali Berisha, at the NATO headquarters to meet with Secretary General of the Alliance, Mr. Manfred Werner. 19 March 1993, for the first time, NATO Secretary General, Manfred Werner visits Albania. In May 1993, Albania was accepted member of the North Atlantic Assembly.

In January 1994, NATO issued the invitation document of the Partnership for Peace, defining it as a direct program and a practical mechanism to transform relations between NATO and non member countries (not members), mainly of the ‘Eastern Bloc’, which were not included under the “security umbrella” of NATO’s Article 5.

On 09 June 1995, Albania was officially involved in the Planning and Review Process of the Partnership for Peace (PARP), a process which creates the conditions to acquire and apply the experience of NATO in the field of defence planning. By participating in the PARP cycles, Albania began sharing information with NATO and obtaining a detailed expertise on issues of a wider spectrum, including the defence policy, development of the democratic control on the Armed Forces, over the forces that Albania put at the disposal of NATO/PfP as well as the respective financial plans.

During the years 2004-2008, Albania continued the process of consultation with NATO during the annual meetings that are held in the framework of MAP, PARP and the Ministerial of NATO/EAPC etc. Albania was committed to meet 43 objectives of the partnership, defining the measures to further enable our Armed Forces in order to operate together with Alliance forces.

Successive democratic Albanian governments, both Democratic Party (DP) and Socialist Party (SP) led, worked to clean intelligence services of those tainted by former connections with the Sigurimi or high-level communist apparatchiks. To the extent this was a problem in Albania's intelligence services, by 2008 it was no longer problem from the USG perspective.

NATO membership was strongly supported by the Albanian public and officialdom -- over ninety percent favor membership, according to the media and GOA officials. There were numerous reasons for this. Emerging from years of isolation, Albanians wanted to feel and be recognized as the Europeans they really are. NATO membership would certainly do that. Also, Albanians wanted to be able to travel like Europeans and enjoy a higher quality of life. They saw NATO membership as a way of moving toward these goals by focusing on reforms, by attracting more foreign investment, and by moving a step closer to membership in the EU.

The real reason for NATO enthusiasm probably had more to do with national pride and prestige. Albania was an isolated pariah state, and Europeans began to view Albania as the cradle of organized crime, drugs, and trafficking, and kept their doors closed. NATO membership, therefore, was important to Albanians because it tells them that Europeans are beginning to see them more as partners and members of the family.

AAF provided a significant contribution to peace support operations led by NATO, but even those led by the UN and EU. It is these contributions that helped Albania be seen as a country producing security rather than consuming it. AAF, along with participation in military missions, has accomplished a number of other joint activities with NATO such as exercises, conferences, etc.

The invitation to NATO membership (Bucharest Summit in 02 April 2008) and the membership with full rights in Strasbourg & Kehl Summit, 02 April 2009, finalized the pan Albanian effort and aspiration to join NATO. Yet, the Albanian public remains the strongest indicator in supporting the country’s membership in NATO, as well as the participation in NATO led missions outside the region. Official surveys reveal a support of about 89% of Albanians for NATO.

Since the official membership of Albania into NATO, the integration plan has begun to be implemented, which means deep reforms in the security and defence sector, with the aim of full interoperability with NATO. Part of this plan is the package with 49 force goals which have been taken over by the AAF as operational capacities at the disposal of NATO for current and future missions. The main part includes “the light battalion group”, which represents a “Task Force” consisting of about 1000 people. At its core is a light infantry battalion, motorized, backed up with smaller units (at company or platoon level) for intelligence services, fire support, air cover, military police service, etc.

The AAF took part in NATO's ISAF mission in Afghanistan, in certain regions such as Herat (with the Italian contingent), Kabul (with the Turkish contingent), Kandahar (in special missions with the U.S. contingent, etc.). In total, there were about 330 Albanian troops operating in different areas in Afghanistan.