Albania, 5 years in NATO

: Published: Monday, 31 March 2014 14:17

In the main square of the Ministry of Defence took place today a special ceremony on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of Albania’s accession to NATO. In this jubilee attended the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, Mr. Edi Rama, Minister of Defence, Mrs. Mimi Kodheli, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ditmir Bushati, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, Major General Jeronim Bazo, former defence ministers, MPs of the Albanian Parliament, generals, directors and other senior officers of the Ministry of Defence, General Staff and Armed Forces. The ceremony was also attended by ambassadors and defence attachés of NATO countries and partner countries, as well as many other guests.

The welcome speech of the 5th anniversary of NATO membership was held by Defence Minister Mrs. Mimi Kodheli. In her speech, Mrs. Kodheli said, “It is an honour and privilege for me to address you today on the 5th anniversary of Albania’s membership to the North Atlantic Alliance. 5 years is a relatively short period for the NATO 65-year history, but it is important today to mention the fact that our country, shortly after the change of political system, expressed the will to reconnect with the Euro-Atlantic world.”
Further, Minister Kodheli spoke about the Albania’s long way toward NATO accession, mentioning the admission as member of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council in June 1992, the NATO Secretary General’s visit, Mr. Manfred Wörner, involvement in the Partnership for Peace Initiative, excellent cooperation with allied structures of NATO during the pre-accession period. On this occasion, Minister Kodheli thanked the militaries who have participated in the missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chad, etc.

Speaking about the importance of Albania’s accession to NATO, Minister Kodheli said, “It is not difficult for us Albanians to describe NATO as ‘loyal connection’ between honoured friends, determined to protect each other, with the right to live in peace and prosperity. Therefore, we are determined to maintain and exalt our role as member of this Alliance. We will firmly implement the necessary reforms to revitalize the Army and institutions under the Ministry of Defence, aiming the standards of counterpart bodies of allied countries. Today, after two decades, Albania is a full member of NATO and our Armed Forces are actively engaged in close partnership with our Allies to protect peace and country’s integrity, the security of the region, of the Alliance, and contributing to global peace and security. This date for our country, our people, for all our compatriots will remain in our consciousness as the event that fully reunited us with the Euro-Atlantic values and principles of freedom, democracy and progress”, stated Mrs. Kodheli.

At the conclusion of her speech, Defence Minister Mrs. Mimi Kodheli expressed her gratitude for the support of Albania’s biggest ally, the United States, and thanked all of the NATO allies for their support and cooperation in the framework of the Albanian big dream.

The Prime Minister of Albania, Mr. Edi Rama, in his address said, “5 years has passed for the Albania’s history enriched with one of the most important dates. Our country’s membership in NATO, on April 1, 2009, is undoubtedly one of those events with special importance in history. On this occasion, Prime Minister Rama expressed his gratitude to all those who worked for the Albania’s membership in NATO, noting especially the support of key ally, the United States of America, and all the other allies and partners. “Gratitude to all those who helped in this unique achievement; gratitude to the Albanian people, Armed Forces, administration, civil society, politics without distinction that implemented the reforms, which made NATO membership possible. Gratitude to the USA is inevitable, whenever we will celebrate days and dates as the one today, or whenever we will reflect and act for the issues of national existence”, said Prime Minister Rama. Further in his address, Prime Minister Rama said that the Albanian Government priority remains the increase of our country’s prestige in NATO, Europe, but also in the world.

At the end of the ceremony, the Armed Forces Guard of Honour conducted several demonstrations, while in the sky, over the AAF formations, flew the Cougar helicopters of the Air Force.