Albania one step closer to being a fully fledged NATO member

Back in April we reported that despite an invitation there was quite a way to go before Albania could join NATO. Yesterday Albania took one significant step closer to that goal when the ambassadors for the 24 member states signed accession protocols for both Albania and Croatia to join NATO.

The signing ceremony was attended by Albanian foreign minister Lulzim Basha at Nato’s headquarters in Brussels.

Ratification by this time next year?

In order for the accession procedure to be completed, the various parliaments of the alliance’s member states now have to ratify the documents followed by the Albanian parliament. Thereafter, the ratification agreements are deposited at the State Department in Washington and at which time Albania becomes a full member of the Alliance.

The ratification process should take no longer than 18 months and it has been reported that NATO officials would like to see it all finalised before the next summit in Strasbourg / Kehl, to be held in April 2009 and which will mark the alliance’s 60th anniversary.

Bringing both Albania and Croatia into NATO is part of a bigger plan to maintain stability in the Balkan region especially after the recent declaration of independence by Kosovo. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer commented:

“This is a historical achievement for these two countries and for the entire Atlantic community of nations. Both our new allies come from a region that, not long ago saw the first operational deployment of the alliance and a region that has witnessed the first major conflict on European soil since the end of World War II”

Next objective for Albania, EU Accession

The Albanian Government has always considered NATO membership as a prerequisite to its much bigger objective of joining the European Union (EU):

Admitting Albania into NATO will also offer credentials for fast integration into the European Union - Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha

With NATO membership under its belt Albania can now continue its progress with economic and legal reforms that will help to continue its progress towards joining the EU.