SPEECH BY NATO SECRETARY GENERAL JAAP DE HOOP SCHEFFER

AT THE ALBANIAN PARLIAMENT

 

TIRANA, ALBANIA -- 6 JULY 2006

 

[ Mr. Speaker, ]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

              Let me start by saying how pleased and honoured I am with this opportunity to complement my official meetings in Tirana today with a public appearance.  I was a parliamentarian myself not that long ago, and I am always delighted to meet with legislators.  But I am also very pleased to see a considerable number of young people in the audience.  Their interest in and understanding of security issues is of vital importance, in all our countries.

 

              My visit to Albania this afternoon follows a visit to Skopje a few weeks ago, and a visit to Croatia this morning.  The main purpose of these visits is clear.  It is to commend all three countries with the impressive progress they have made in preparing for NATO membership – and to reassure them that they will accede to NATO, if they keep up their efforts.

 

              But I have another objective, too, with these three visits.  And that is to further explain – to policymakers and the public at large – what it really means to be a member of NATO today.  And why it is in your interest, as well as NATO’s, that you continue your efforts to join the Alliance.

 

              NATO is a unique institution.  It features, first of all, an exceptional political consultation mechanism that is geared towards consensus.  This consensus process is sometimes perceived as slow and cumbersome.  But it has distinct advantages.  It creates a sense of predictability.  And it fosters both a responsibility and a pre-disposition among the Allies – big and small – to seek common solutions to common problems.

 

              NATO also has an integrated multinational military structure to implement these common decisions.  Over the years, the militaries of our member nations have become highly interoperable, and capable of working together effectively under the most demanding circumstances.  And that military potential is another unique feature of the Alliance.

 

              What also makes NATO unique is its transatlantic dimension.  There is simply no other forum that brings Americans, Canadians and Europeans closer together.  And transatlantic consultation and cooperation in the Alliance works both ways.  Through NATO, the United States and Canada can make their voice heard in Europe.  And we Europeans, in turn, use NATO to get our views across the Atlantic.

 

              Together, these various characteristics make NATO a truly unique organisation.  But the real glue that has held the Alliance together for more than half a century is not structures, is not bureaucracies.  It is not even a common threat.  What continues to bind us are the common values on which all our societies are built – pluralism, freedom, democracy, and tolerance.

 

              What has changed – and what has changed dramatically – is the way in which those common values are threatened, and the manner in which we have to defend them.  In the face of threats from terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and failing states, a reactive approach is simply no longer good enough.  These new and complex threats call for much more active engagement, including well away from our own borders – and that is what the NATO Alliance is very much geared towards these days.

 

              NATO, today, is actively engaged on 3 continents – in Europe, in Asia, and in Africa.  In Kosovo, our troops continue to keep the peace and ensure a safe and stable environment for the UN-sponsored status talks to bear fruit.  In Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force helps the Government of Afghanistan to provide the necessary security so that democracy and redevelopment can flourish with Albanian participation and I commend you for that.  In Iraq, NATO is training Iraqi security forces to allow them to take on more responsibility for the security of their own country.  And in Africa, we are airlifting African Union peacekeepers into the Darfur region of Sudan, and providing other assistance to that force in order to facilitate, I hope, a smooth transition to the United Nations.

 

              Alongside these commitments, NATO maritime forces are conducting an anti-terrorist operation in the Mediterranean.   We provided humanitarian relief to the victims of last year’s Hurricane Katrina in the United States, as well as to victims of last October’s earthquake in Pakistan.  And NATO aircraft have been helping to secure the skies over Germany during the Football World Cup, just as we supported several other big public events during the past few years. 

 

              NATO’s operations are one important part of our pro-active, values-based security policy.  But they are not the only one.  Because the best way to safeguard our values is by nourishing them – by upholding our values at home, and advocating them abroad.  By believing in the power of open, democratic systems and liberal economic systems. By encouraging other countries to open up their societies too.  And by lending them advice and assistance if they so request.

 

              NATO has acted in line with this logic.  Over the past fifteen years, the Alliance has built up a wide network of security relationships – all over Europe and into the Caucasus and Central Asia.  Through this network we have not only been able to promote our values.  We have also fostered a genuine Euro-Atlantic security culture – a strong disposition to tackle common security problems by working together.  And we have greatly improved our ability to cooperate in meeting such common challenges.

 

              NATO’s enlargement process also shows how our values and our security interests converge.  It has extended a unique zone of security throughout our continent.  It has given – and continues to give – our neighbours new confidence in their own future, and a strong incentive to reform.  And in so doing, it enhances prosperity and security for us all.

 

              This logic of integration through NATO enlargement remains as valid as ever.  It remains particularly valid here in Southeast Europe, because I strongly believe that for this region, Euro-Atlantic integration offers the only feasible way forward.  There is simply no alternative.

 

              Our Membership Action Plan remains the key instrument for Albania and other aspirant countries to move closer to NATO.  The MAP enables your country to benefit from the Alliance’s support and guidance to complete reforms in key areas; to stay abreast of the reforms which NATO itself is going through; and to ensure that you are able to make a meaningful contribution to the Alliance, as soon as you get on board.

 

              Over the past few years, Albania has made a determined effort to implement far-reaching reforms, and with considerable success.  The new government is to be commended for placing a strong emphasis on the fight against corruption and organised crime, and the strengthening of the rule of law, which are all vital to Albania’s future as a viable and prosperous democratic nation.  There are encouraging signs of progress in these areas, but much remains to be done, especially to improve the efficiency of the judicial system.  The Stabilisation and Association Agreement which Albania concluded with the European Union last month provides a particularly good basis for this work.

 

              Defence reform is another area where there has been clear progress, but where further work remains to be done.  We appreciate the effort that is being made to set more realistic goals for Albania’s armed forces, and to make better use of the growing but still limited financial resources that are available for defence.  That kind of change is obviously important with a view to NATO membership, which is why we will continue both to encourage and to assist it, including through our NATO Headquarters here in Tirana.

 

 

              One further area that I wish to mention relates to the handling of classified information, which is another important NATO requirement.  Important  progress has been made in this area as well.  With NATO’s advice and assistance, all the necessary structures and procedures have been put into place, and it will be important now for the relevant authorities to ensure that they work as intended.

 

              So there still is work to do in a number of areas.  But let me tell you that, on the whole, the 26 NATO Allies view the seriousness and determination with which Albania is pursuing the necessary reforms in a very favourable light.  And we are confident that this positive trend can and will be carried through.

 

              The same holds true for Albania’s international engagement, first of all with its neighbours here in South-East Europe.  As a matter of fact, Albania has been playing a very helpful, moderating role here in this region – especially with regard to Kosovo – and it is to be commended for that constructive approach.

 

              But Albania has also been looking further, quite literally.  We are pleased that, in addition to its valuable contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, Albania is also considering support for NATO’s anti-terrorist maritime operation in the Mediterranean.  This demonstrates that Albania shares our view that security today requires active engagement and solidarity.   And it is another indication that Albania, once it joins the Alliance, is going to be a reliable and active NATO member.

 

              So when will this be?  I know there were hopes in this country and the other two MAP countries that invitations might be forthcoming in November, when NATO Heads of State and Government meet in Riga.  I am glad that there is generally greater realism now.  The NATO enlargement process was never driven by deadlines.  It was, is, and remains a performance-based process.  And as I just pointed out, some work still needs to be done.

 

              But let me also very clearly state this: once a country has done what we expect from it, NATO will keep its own part of the deal – and open its doors for new members.  And this means that your country’s accession to NATO is clearly no longer a question of “if”, but only of “when”.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

              In NATO today, twenty-six strong and independent democracies consult and co-ordinate their positions on the key strategic issues of the 21^st century.  They pool their individual military capabilities to create an exceptionally capable defence community.  They meet common threats and challenges together, including well away from their own borders.  And they shape the strategic environment in ways that no single country could ever hope to achieve on its own.

 

              That is the community of nations which Albania is aspiring to join.  To obtain the security guarantee of collective defence.  To work shoulder-to-shoulder in one of the world’s pre-eminent peace making forces.  To play a constructive role in the NATO Council, helping the Alliance to arrive at consensus.  And to play its full part in defending and promoting the values that make NATO a true symbol of cooperation, democracy and peaceful relations.

 

              Let there be no mistake -- there is still work to do.  But Albania is well on its way towards joining the NATO community, and it will be a very welcome addition.

 

              Thank you.