Albania in NATO

Our country’s membership in NATO, 13 years ago, on April 1, 2009, is undoubtedly one of the most important events not only for our country, but for the entire Albanian nation. Currently, Albania sees its security inextricably linked to the security of the territory covered by the prerogatives of the North Atlantic Treaty.

Based on the fundamental role of NATO in the common security of the allied territory, Albania actively supports the unity of the Alliance and the essential importance of the Transatlantic connection, so that NATO remains a pillar of stability for future generations. As we face a wider range of threats, much more complex and complicated than in the past, the Atlantic Alliance continues to be the cornerstone of the common security of its member countries. Thus, Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine, which constitutes the biggest security crisis in Europe for decades, is being accompanied by hybrid and cyber attacks, as well as intensified propaganda against the core values of the Atlantic Alliance. Added to these are the increased threats of terrorism as well as instability in the Middle East and North Africa, which is fueling large-scale immigration flows to Europe and also further inspiring terrorist activities and violent extremism.

In the increased high-level political meetings in NATO, since February 24 of this year, Albania, along with other NATO countries, has strongly condemned Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine, describing it as a serious violation of International Law and as a very serious threat to Euro-Atlantic security. Also, Albania is part of NATO’s steadfast will to do whatever it takes to secure and protect all allied countries. In the framework of the Alliance’s efforts to protect and secure the territory of the Atlantic Alliance, Albania is and will continue to be fully committed to contributing to the NATO mission. Thus, in the essential allied dimension of Defense and Deterrence, Albania contributes militarily to the largest reinforcement of collective defense since the Cold War, through the implementation of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence in the East -EfP (Enhanced Forward Presence).

Currently, Albanian soldiers are part of thousands of troops of NATO countries, who serve in the operations and missions of the Alliance in the Baltic countries, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Kosovo. Likewise, Albania contributes to increasing the readiness of allied forces, modernizing the military command structure. At the same time, Albania, based on its geographical position and as an initial member of the Global Coalition against the so-called “Islamic State”, actively supports the intensified role of NATO in the fight against terrorism as well as the projecting of stability in and around the Euro-Atlantic area.

In the wake of obligations arising from collective decision-making in NATO and aimed at meeting security challenges, Albania has given priority to the increase of the Defense budget, supporting the necessity and fairer distribution of the financial burden between the allies, in function of the main mission of NATO, which remains the collective defense of the population and territory of the Atlantic Alliance. Increased defense investment also serves to upgrade allied forces’ capabilities, further improve readiness, and increase contributions to NATO missions and operations.

Important challenges for allied security include the spread of a false narrative actively sponsored through hybrid tactics by antagonistic Alliance powers. This narrative aims to undermine NATO’s cohesion by defending the thesis that the Atlantic Alliance is already an outdated anachronism. This narrative lays down the necessity of increasing energetic efforts to oppose it in the field of public diplomacy, both from the allied countries and from NATO itself, presenting to the public opinion undeniable facts about the values and achievements of the Alliance in these 73 years and concretely arguing that NATO has never been more important than today for the stability and security of the allied territory.

Albania is completely clear that the new range of threats cannot be faced only with military means, therefore in its dual capacity, as a NATO member country and a candidate country in the EU, it favors the intensification of close NATO-EU cooperation to deal with them. A clear example is Albania’s participation since 2016 in the NATO operation in the Aegean Sea, in support of the EU’s efforts against illegal immigration. For Albania, active NATO-EU cooperation in the field of security is of great importance in relation to the security of Europe and beyond. The EU is a strategic and essential partner for NATO. Both organizations share