Albania ends the presidency of the USA-Adriatic Charter initiative with the ministerial of Tirana

2024-12-04 19:57:06, Aktualitet CNA

Albania ends the presidency of the USA-Adriatic Charter initiative with the

Albania ended its presidency of the USA-Adriatic Charter initiative, with the meeting of the defense ministers of the member countries in Tirana. The Adriatic Charter includes 5 Balkan countries, with Kosovo having observer status, while Serbia is not part of it. The Albanian Minister of Defense Piro Vengu, who co-chaired the meeting with the US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander, stated in his conclusion that the representatives of the member countries had discussed " complications in the strategic security environment on the European continent, including the Western Balkans region. We emphasized once again the importance of the Adriatic Charter and each member country, especially the irreplaceable role of the USA in the region ", said Mr. Vengu.

According to him, everyone at the meeting was of one mind for the re-energization of the Adriatic Charter, seeing the geopolitical dynamics and the continuous change of the strategic security environment. " Let's revive it as a mechanism to advance the policy of open doors of the Charter, that is to accept new members, and for us the membership of Kosovo remains an absolute priority ", the Albanian minister emphasized.

" The United States continues to support those countries that aspire to become a member of NATO, so our commitment to the open door policy remains unwavering ", declared Assistant Secretary Wallander, adding that the same attitude applies to for the Adriatic Charter " at the moment the membership conditions are fulfilled ".

Part of the ministerial discussions of A-5 was also the recent attack in the north of Kosovo: " We reviewed a series of risks and challenges of a hybrid nature, and an increased attention was paid to the criminal attack a few days ago in Zubin Potok, against the critical infrastructure of Republic of Kosovo. While I find the opportunity to repeat our solidarity with the state of Kosovo, all countries condemned this dangerous attack for regional security and stability and demanded that those responsible be brought to justice ," Minister Vengu emphasized./ VOA