Early this year (25 February 2014), representatives of the National Security Committees of the Parliaments of the A5 countries gathered in Tirana. I had the opportunity to speak to them about the Albanian Chairmanship of the A5 for 2014, and inevitably paused on the relation between the two Charters – A5 and B3.

Both Charters have a founding member in common, the United States, which exceptional role is self-evident to all sitting here today. So I’ll take this opportunity to thank the representative of the United States here with us, DAS (Deputy Assistant Secretary) Hoyt Yee, for the irreplaceable contribution of his country to our Charters.

The US-Baltic Charter served as a model for the US-Adriatic Charter, showing us where we were going – towards Euro-Atlantic integration.

The US-Baltic Charter also showed us how we were getting there through cooperation, solidarity and mutual assistance to each-other and our neighbors. That is something that Albania strongly believes in, which is why we chose to focus on the promotion of regional cooperation during this one-year Chairmanship-in-Office of the A5.

Now, this was a discussion back in February, and things were very different in February. Today, we are all facing new security challenges, whether from the East, the South, or both.

From the East, it’s first and foremost Russia: there was the illegal and illegitimate ‘annexation’ of Crimea, which was condemned in the strongest terms; it escalated with further aggressive actions against Ukraine.
How to deal with this threatening posture of Russia has been a topic discussed in many forums over the past months (in NATO, EU, OSCE, CoE, UN, etc.), but today I think it would be interesting for us to hear from our colleagues of the Baltic Charter – who are at the frontline of this threat – their thoughts on the situation, on how best to face this challenge.
This is not to exclude the A5 representatives from talking about the threat from the East. There is renewed dynamism of Russia in the Balkans, and in one way or another, we’ve felt the effects of what has been happening to Ukraine, have had to deal with them, and are likely to do so for some time to come.

But we all are also facing seriously increasing threats of international terrorism from the South; here I’m talking about Islamic State (ISIL). It is a murderous terrorist organization, a threat not only to the Middle East, but a global challenge, requiring a global response.

The international effort to counter ISIL has been picking up momentum and contributors, and it has become clear that it is a challenge that will require our engagement in different ways:
•    Through military support to Iraq;
•    Countering ISIL’s financing and funding;
•    Stopping the flow of foreign fighters;
All, without losing sight of the humanitarian crises in Iraq and Syria.

The phenomenon of foreign fighters has been on our agenda’s for as long as the Syrian conflict has been drawing out [regretful as that may be]. But as ISIL actively tries to recruit our citizens to join its terrorist cause, the phenomenon of foreign fighters is now of particular concern.

The return of these foreign fighters to their countries of origin carries potential risks, particularly:
•    where security structures are insufficient,
•    where political stability is fragile,
•    where social cohesion is yet unformed or
•    where there is a complex fabric of religious and ethnic composure [which is the case in the Balkans].

So, how do we address these security challenges?
I would say: Together. As partners, as allies, as members of international or regional organizations, as part of (international) coalitions … Our joined engagement in Afghanistan is proof that we can work together.
These are threats to our security, and security is, above all, about building credible cooperation processes. The challenges we are facing require that we act together, which means resolving outstanding bilateral questions and overcoming internal political challenges as quickly as possible in the interests of good neighborly relations and increased stability in the region.

At the NATO Summit earlier this month, most of us met to discuss NATO’s Open Door Policy. Albania continues to support the “open doors-policy”.

For us in the Balkans, being anchored to Euro-Atlantic institutions is more than an aspiration; it is a guarantee to our security, whatever the origin of the challenges we face. More forward-leaning engagement through concrete measures should be on the agenda, in recognition of the progress and contribution to our security.

I also think that we should be more open to expanding the membership of our regional mechanisms, including the US-Adriatic Charter, with countries that are willing and able to make a contribution, in accordance with the open-ended nature of our Charter and its philosophy: together towards Euro-Atlantic integration.