Dear Colleagues,
Distinguished representatives of the diplomatic corps,
Ladies and gentleman,

Seven years ago, all Albanians in the country and around the world took pride when our flag arose for the first time in the courtyard of the NATO headquarters. Flag of the shared promise, both an appeal and a symbol, was thus renewed alongside other flags of the new and longstanding allies.

Seven years ago, perhaps to the surprise of many of us, we witnessed how such a small and humble country could be part of the most powerful political and military Alliance in the world.

For any history enthusiast of Albania, the region and the continent, Albania’s membership to NATO was no surprise, but rather a final act to fill in a 60-year political and strategic gap.

Our NATO membership was the result of a long process, directly related to the democratization process of the country. This membership was not merely an investment in security, but also a national project, a clear expression of the Euro-Atlantic alignment of the Albanian people.

In 1952, American intellectual Reinhold Niebuhr, defined the trans-Atlantic space by these three principles: i) common values; ii) common interest; iii) common obligations.

In the words of Niebuhr, the trans-Atlantic community is not a “unified culture” but a way to make “diversity tolerable in terms of freedom; Thus, a community “of nations which have found ways to create groups, despite the diversity “.

This is the unifying principle which constitutes the strength and stability of our alliance.

NATO was born as history itself entrusted the Trans-Atlantic community with joint tasks. At the time of the Cold War, these engagements embodied the needs to jointly shield from forces of tyranny and ensure the welfare of people on this side and across the Atlantic.

To this day, the trans-Atlantic community still has the same needs, although tyranny may have changed shape and welfare taken a broader meaning than the economic one.

NATO membership has turned Albania into a stability pole in the Adriatic Europe area, which invests in the security and prosperity of our region, taking on, as Secretary John Kerry stated, the role of guardian for countries aspiring to the Euro-Atlantic integration.

We are grateful to the United States of America, our strategic partner, and other allies, without whose support, our country would not have come this far.

Albania has the right sensitivity to challenges currently facing the European security architecture, as well as to the effects that the situation in the east and south of Europe can have for our region.

In the current geostrategic context, Albania is part of the Alliance’s efforts to more equitably distribute the weight of long-standing obligations. This process is crucial to the reliability of the Alliance and the sustainability of our collective defense instruments.

This is also why I believe that in this seventh anniversary, our NATO membership should not be seen as an achievement, but as a new starting point.

Thank you!