Western Balkan countries meet in Albania to strengthen their cooperation

TIRANA, May 9 – Western Balkan countries believe that their Euro-Atlantic prospects are the driving force in their development.
The foreign ministers of Macedonia, Antonio Milososki, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Sven Alkalaj, Montenegro, Milan Rocen and their host and Albanian counterpart, Lulzim Basha together with outgoing NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and U.S. Deputy Assistant State Secretary Stewart Jones extended congratulations once again to Albania and Croatia for joining NATO after completing their reforms.
Foreign Ministers and senior officials convened in Tirana to express their “firm conviction that the Euro-Atlantic perspective of the Western Balkans is the main driving force for the advancement of national reforms and the transformation process in the Region, and is the most important impetus for achieving long-lasting political, social and economic stability.“
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer urged “countries that aspire to NATO membership must maintain, and indeed intensify, their reform efforts.“
Albania, Croatia and Macedonia signed in 2003 the Adriatic 3 Charter, a U.S.-backed initiative in which they pledged to develop a common military strategy as part of their efforts to join NATO. That is now turned into Adriatic 5 with Bosnia and Montenegro.
The meeting discussed the development prospects in the Western Balkans, the strengthening of cooperation, integration in the European Union and NATO, and the security issues in the region and beyond.
Bilateral differences or unsolved issues from the past should not hamper joint support and solidarity, the foreign ministers of Adriatic Group countries (A5) agreed in a joint statement following Friday’s meeting in Tirana.
A5 foreign ministers also pinpointed Macedonia’s commitment and success in meeting the NATO standards, saying they expected the country to obtain full fledged NATO membership in near future.
The ministers expressed hope that Serbia and Kosovo would join the Adriatic group as soon as possible in order to contribute to further development of neighborly relations, stabilization and economic prosperity of both the Balkans and Europe.
Macedonia’s foreign minister Antonio Milososki said the country was prepared to resume the dialogue under the mediation of UN envoy Matthew Nimetz.
“It depends on Athens, when it will be favorable for them to resume the constructive dialogue, however along the process the dignity of the Macedonian nation must not be violated and its identity and language must be protected,” Milososki said.
Tirana’s meeting of the Partnership Commission of Adriatic Group foreign ministers was joined for the first time by BiH and Montenegro after being admitted in the Group in November last year. The meeting is held every six months when the Adriatic Group presidency is handed over. The next presidency holder is Bosnia & Herzegovina.
NATO chief Scheffer, whose mandate ends soon, also participated in the meeting and then left for Skopje.
The purpose of the meeting was “to further our dialogue aimed at supporting the countries of the Western Balkans in their pursuit of Euro-Atlantic integration.”
The meeting congratulated Albania and Croatia on their historic accession into the Alliance, “achieved through years of hard work, reforms and their demonstrated commitment.”
“We acknowledge the important role played by the Adriatic Charter in fostering regional cooperation, building confidence, and facilitating the Euro-Atlantic integration process of the Western Balkans, and reaffirm that this process must continue,” said a statement.
“We emphasize regional cooperation as one of the most important instruments for advancing our countries’ goals towards Euro-Atlantic integration, developing good neighborly relations and for consolidating and ensuring the stability, security and development of our Region.”
“Cooperation has replaced confrontation, and this has opened up exciting new opportunities for all of Southeast Europe,” said Scheffer. “I have long been convinced that Euro-Atlantic integration offers the only feasible way for Southeast Europe to move forward.”
“NATO’s door will remain open. It is why countries that aspire to NATO membership must maintain, and indeed intensify, their reform efforts. And why NATO – including its newest member countries – must continue to encourage and assist those efforts,” the secretary general said.