Prague ratifies Albania’s NATO membership invitation

PRAGUE, Dec 10 – The Czech Senate has voted in favor of Albania and Croatia joining NATO, with 42 of the 63 senators present supporting their entry in a vote held Wednesday.
Only one senator voted against the accession.
The Chamber of Deputies is to vote on the measure next week.
Albania and Croatia will take part in a NATO summit planned for April 2009 if all 26 NATO member countries successfully complete the ratification process by then.
NATO offered Albania and Croatia with membership invitations at its Bucharest summit earlier this year. Then in July they signed with NATO the membership protocol that should be signed by all member countries.
Czech Vice Prime Minister for EU Affairs, Alexandr Vondra, said he considers the planned enlargement as a “step towards enhancing stability in southeast Europe and a contribution to a gradual integration of the Balkan region.”