ALBANIA 10 YEARS IN NATO
As today, 10 years ago Albania became member of the largest military alliance, NATO.
Albania-NATO relations date back to 1992 when Albania officially was admitted and accepted in the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC). After the Washington Summit in 1999, Albania, along with eight other countries (and later Croatia), was accepted as an aspirant country for NATO membership.
AAF has made a significant contribution to NATO-led peace-support operations, but also to the EU and UN. It is precisely these contributions which have contributed to Albania being seen as a country that produces security rather than consuming it. AAF, in addition to participating in combat missions, has also conducted a number of other joint activities with NATO in training, conferences etc.
Receiving NATO membership invitation (Bucharest Summit April 2, 2008) and full membership at the Strasbourg & Kehl Summit, April 1, 2009, finalized those efforts and aspirations of the country’s membership in NATO. Today NATO and Albania cooperate in a range of areas, with a particular emphasis on defence and security sector reform, as well as support for wider democratic and institutional reform.
Within the political commitments of the Republic of Albania in the fight against terrorism, the Armed Forces are engaged and actively participate in international operations, in various missions abroad, as an integral part of NATO, EU, UN and NATO mutual coalitions of our strategic partners. On 9 September 1996, AAF started its first mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Since Albania’s official NATO membership, the integration plan has been implemented, which implies a deep reform of the security and defence sector in order to fully comply and interact with NATO. Part of this plan is a request with 49 force targets that have been taken over by the AAF as the operational capacities made available to NATO for current and future missions. The Armed Forces are currently engaged in peacekeeping and combat missions in Afghanistan, the Aegean Sea, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Mali and e FP Latvia.
The Armed Forces have completed peacekeeping missions in Iraq, Chad and Georgia, and have successfully transited from the ISAF mission to that RSM in Afghanistan. In total there are about 330 Albanian troops operating in different areas of Afghanistan.
NATO and Albania has extended their area of cooperation, including now: Defence and security sector reform, civil emergency planning, Science and environment, Public diplomacy, etc.
Albania is fully engaged within the year 2024, 2% of Gross Domestic Product to be dedicated to the field of defence, as well as to increase its reinforcement in all NATO and EU missions, as well as in the newest mission that is responsible for, as civil emergencies.
Still, the Albanian public remains the top indicator of supporting the country’s NATO membership and participation in missions led by NATO outside the region, as they believe NATO is an alliance of values and nations that unites not only security requirements but also confidence in the values of humanity, justice and democracy.
Official polls provide support for about 89% of Albanians to NATO. In 2010, TCN signed a Frame Agreement with NATO, and since then is working with NATO specialized Agencies. TCN operates with
NATO Security Clearance and has completed several projects in NATO sites/bases in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Hungary, Belgium, Luxemburg and Italy.
A decade after NATO membership, Albania has managed to be a reliable partner and a strategic strategist for the North Atlantic Alliance region.
