Adriatic 3 parliamentarians talk about NATO membership

TIRANA, Feb 24 – Lawmakers of the 3 Adriatic member countries together with other partners participated in a two-day meeting in the Albanian capital Tirana entitled the “Adriatic Charter Conference, Euro-Atlantic Integration and Challenges of Security in the Western Balkans”.
They discussed the roles of their countries’ parliaments in the process of NATO membership, particularly the protocol of the ratification stage for their membership into NATO by the Alliance’s member countries.
Besides parliamentarians from Albania, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro there were also guests from the NATO headquarters.
They discussed the challenges of the participating countries’ parliaments to secure the necessary resources required for defense, to implement military reforms which enable them to cooperate with the NATO forces, to improve cross-border cooperation and coordinate efforts in the fight against corruption and organized crime, arms trafficking and other forms of inter-state crime by approving the necessary laws.
“In just about 5 weeks we will reach a historic moment. The greatest security and political alliance of modern times will welcome Albania to full and complete membership. This will be one of those moments in which history redeems itself. For too long the nations of central Europe have been isolated from their true historical heritage and that is membership in the Euro-Atlantic community,” said U.S. Ambassador John L. Withers II.
The ambassador also said that the Adriatic Charter had been a key component in the success. It was initiated by the US six years ago. “While the Balkans is too often portrayed as a region of conflict and enmity, the Adriatic Charter has been an unprecedented example of cooperation.”
He added that since formed in 2003 to advance Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia’s aspirations to integrate into western institutions, especially NATO, the Charter had shown that when states united in a common cause, this unity had a multiplying effect on their efforts and on the progress of their reforms.
In November of last year the Charter also included Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Withers also said that Macedonia was also expected “to take its place as a member of NATO once negotiations with Greece are successfully completed.”
Membership in NATO will turn a new page in Balkan history but the work is not done for Albania, Croatia and Macedonia, the ambassador said, adding that “Membership in NATO is the beginning. It is a step toward reaching that irrevocable stage of democratic progress that we all seek all over the world. We expect Albania and Croatia to continue to increase the pace of their democratic, economic and military reforms, that they may provide the most effective contribution possible to this historic Alliance.”
“As the family of NATO grows larger, the Balkans and indeed all of Europe will become more stable, secure and prosperous.”
A border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia cannot affect Albania’s aspirations to become a NATO member at the April summit.
Slovenia and Croatia are at loggerheads over their border at the Bay of Piran, and with its access rights to the Adriatic Sea. As a result, nationalist parties in Slovenia, which as a member of NATO is required to approve new accession, are attempting to force a referendum on Croatia’s imminent membership into NATO.