This conference marks a seminal event in the history of the Balkans, indeed in the history of Europe. In less than two months, Albania will become a member of NATO with full rights and privileges, something which was unimaginable just twenty years ago. This transformation is symbolic of the progress we have made throughout Europe and throughout the world.
The Balkans have always been a microcosm of 20th century history played out on a local scale, ever since the day Bosnian-Serb Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, and since the day U.S. President Woodrow Wilson championed the new global ideal of self-determination, as he fought off great-power plans to carve up Albania among its neighbors.
With the fall of Communism, once again, the Balkans took center-stage in world history. Two forces rushed to fill the void created by the demise of communism: the ideals of ethnic nationalism and liberal democracy, often clashing with each other. As a result, the 90s were a troubled decade for the Balkans. But with the birth of a new millennium came the birth of a new ideal: collective security achieved through mutual respect and cooperation. This was symbolized best by the region’s aspirations to join NATO, one of the most successful security alliances in world history.
However, it would be wrong to think of NATO as simply an alliance against military threats. NATO is about shared political and democratic values. Allies share and defend democratic systems of government, respect for human rights, rule of law, and free market economics. These values define NATO just as much as coordinated military structures. And while the Balkans are too often portrayed as a region of conflict and enmity, in the past decade the Balkans have given an unprecedented example of cooperation as they have combined their efforts to advance their NATO aspirations.
Albania has played a critical role in the transformation of the Balkans. Albania’s support to Allied efforts to end the humanitarian tragedy in Kosovo and to then secure the peace were crucial. Albania has contributed to several NATO-led operations, including the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and the NATO-led Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Albania was also a key member of the international coalition in Iraq and we applaud Albania on the successful completion of this mission.
NATO membership is the start of the process, not the end. Albania will have responsibilities as a democratic country, as a country with a market economy, and a contributor to common security. The path to unalterable, independent, democratic institutions takes time. When NATO invited Albania to join the alliance last year, its expectation was that membership will not mark the end of democratic, legal and military form, but the beginning. When the U.S. Senate ratified Albania’s NATO Protocols, it was stating that Albania was on the right path. We have confidence that Albania will stay on that path. Without democracy, none of our mutual goals, neither the ones that we have outlined today, nor the broader goals of a free market, or regional stability, or human rights, would be possible.
As we have from the beginning, we will continue to help Albania to make the necessary reforms in order to build stronger and more democratic independent institutions. We are grateful for Albania’s responsible and constructive support of the Kosovo status process. The U.S. and European countries have partnered in a number of global challenges, including security cooperation, climate change, on Iran, on democracy promotion initiatives, the Middle East peace process, energy security, and Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the Balkans, of course, where we work very closely together.
Our policy in the Balkans will continue to be what it has been up to now: support for peace, democracy, rule of law, economic development, and Euro-Atlantic integration for the entire region.
