NATO Parliamentary Assembly pledges further links

TIRANA, March 2 – NATO Parliamentary Assembly Delegation headed by Sergio De Gregorio, President of Sub-Committee on Transatlantic Relations, made a visit to Albania this week to meet with all senior officials, President Bamir Topi, Prime Minister Sali Berisha, Parliamentary Speaker Jozefina Topalli, Foreign Minister Ilir Meta and Defense Minister Arben Imami.
All Albanian officials thanked the Assembly for the support and assistance that they provided Albania with implementation of the major national project, NATO membership in the April 2009 summit, in Strasbourg- Kehl.
De Gregorio congratulated Albanian officials for their historic achievement of obtaining NATO membership. He considered the process as the crowning of an extraordinarily work and of major successful reforms the government of Albania has undertaken in all the fields for achievement of all necessary standards in this direction.
NATO Parliamentary Assembly Delegation appreciated the role and contribution of Albania in the missions of the Alliance as well as in other missions of peace and security as well as Albania’s important actual role as its ally.
The local media also broadcast the words from the delegation on the Albanian elections last year and the political conflict in the country.
Referring to the boycott of the democratic institutions by the opposition, the members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Delegation emphasized that no one in the Euro-Atlantic community has the slightest doubt about the legitimacy of this Parliament and of the government of Albania.
The NATO lawmakers emphasized that the Albanian Parliament is the stage of democratic debate and boycotting the democratic institutions is a senseless stand.
During the meeting, the members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Delegation positively assessed the reforms and the achievements of the government of Albania in the process of Albania EU integration. The results of the fight against crime and corruption, the reforms in the fiscal field and the economic development of the country and the upgrade of the defense sector, for example.
The government of Albania has achieved rather important results in meeting the EU standards, emphasized the NATO Parliamentarians, while expressing their full support even for this project.
They also exchanged views on the Alliance’s future challenges, Albania’s role in NATO, Albania’s foreign policy and security priorities and the Euro – Atlantic integration of the countries of the region.
Meta emphasized that the priority remained the intensification of regional cooperation and Euro – Atlantic integration of all the Western Balkan countries.
Albania supports the open door policy of the Alliance, the intensification of cooperation and enhancement of its partnerships, the maintenance and deepening of transatlantic relations, which are also expected to be reflected in the Document due to be adopted in the forthcoming NATO Summit in Lisbon.
The Alliance parliamentarians commended Albania’s constructive role in the region, its performance in NATO and its commitment in the context of ISAF in Afghanistan.