BRUSSELS, March 5 – NATO foreign ministers will meet Thursday to discuss plans to offer membership to three Balkan nations and closer ties to others in an effort to promote stability in the region in the wake of Kosova’s declaration of independence.
Albania, Croatia and Macedonia are hoping to receive an invitation to join NATO from the summit April 2-4 in Bucharest, Romania. Diplomats at NATO headquarters said there was broad support for the membership bids by all three, but warned the plan could be sunk by continued Greek objections to Macedonia’s name.
NATO also is expected to offer closer cooperation with Bosnia and Montenegro to prepare them for eventual membership.
Serbia is expected to be offered a similar deal, but that is unlikely to make much progress while the government in Belgrade continues to reject Western overtures to protest recognition of Kosova’s independence by leading NATO nations. The governments of Ukraine and Georgia also are hoping the Bucharest summit will offer them a road map to NATO membership.
NATO ministers to talk on Balkans
Change font size:
Latest from News
Milošević’s Language Returns to Serbia’s Government
Change font size: - + Reset Ethnic Cleansing Remark Tests Serbia’s Claim to Have Broken With Milošević A Serbian minister’s declared willingness to expel Kosovo Albanians has drawn condemnation across the region
Saudi Ambassador Meets Head of Albania–Saudi Parliamentary Friendship Group
Change font size: - + Reset Tirana Times, July 6,2026 – Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Albania, H.E. Turki bin Ibrahim Al-Madi, received Albanian MP Baldi Çomo, Chairman of the Albania–Saudi Arabia Parliamentary Friendship
Anti-Government Protests Escalate in Tirana as Demonstrators Block Parliament
Change font size: - + Reset Tirana Times, July 03, 2026 – Albania’s month-long anti-government protest movement entered a more confrontational phase on Thursday, as demonstrators gathered outside Parliament, blocked access points
Are Europe’s Star Architects Helping Launder Albania’s Criminal Economy?
Change font size: - + Reset The Albanian Files suggests that international architecture may have served not only as design, but as a prestigious façade for opaque money, captured institutions and one-man
Saudi Ambassador Presents Credentials To Albanian President As Ties Gain Momentum
Change font size: - + Reset Tirana Times, June 05, 2026 – Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador to Albania, Turki Ibraheem Almadhi, presented his credentials to President Bajram Begaj, marking the formal start