If there is a model of a genuine friendly relationship between two regional countries that can be found in the example of Albania and Croatia and their people whose ties are not only old but extend in all fields of life. The treeroots of their friendship are deep, facing all challenges together which are guarantee for better days.     

Certainly, the frequent visits of the highest authorities of the two countries are testimony of the mutual efforts to take such relationship to higher levels and occasion for the authorities of both countries to put their heads together to find new avenues for the enrichment of the bilateral ties.  

Part of such a beneficial tradition was the visit of the Defense Minister of Croatia, Mario Banozic to Tirana last week (April 5, 2022) at the invitation of his Albanian counterpart Niko Peleshi whose talks focused among other things on broader cooperation in the field of defense between the two countries.  

“The two ministers expressed readiness to further deepen cooperation at the bilateral level, mainly through education and training, as well as the further engagement of the Armed Forces in NATO-led operations,” said a press release issued by the Albanian Defense Ministry quoting a joint press conference held by the two ministers at the end of the official talks.

A “tête-à-tête” meeting between the two ministers, followed by the talks between the delegations dwelt on upgrading the very good relations between Albania and Croatia, their contribution within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and touched upon the situation created in all parts of the world, including the Western Balkans, by the Russian aggression against Ukraine.   

Besides the importance of the talks, the visit of Zagreb’s top military to Tirana can be considered as a feast for both countries which celebrated the 13th anniversary of their membership in NATO, their geo-strategic values to the alliance, and their ability to contribute to its missions. On 1 April, Albania and Croatia marked 13 years as fully fledged members of NATO, and since then the Albanian and Croatian flags fly together with the other NATO member flags. In April 2009, Albania and Croatia were welcomed into the Alliance – the result of long years of hard work completing the necessary reforms, said then Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. On April 7, NATO Headquarters in Brussels marked the two countries’ accession in a flag-raising ceremony.

It is not too many years since that event but the anniversary is marked with military advancements of Croatia and Albania. Moreover, the international developments, particularly against the background of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have been testimony of the meaningful geo-strategic advantages that both of these countries brought to the alliance. The success of NATO's enlargement policies should be a clear guide to the EU, particularly to those member countries which are not enthusiastic over the Union’s enlargement process towards the Western Balkans.

"The current situation shows once again that Euro-Atlantic membership is vital for the countries of our region. I express my strong support for the Republic of Albania in its membership in the European Union as soon as possible,” said the Croatian Minister of Defense, Banozic in the joint press conference with his counterpart Peleshi. 

For his part Peleshi said regarding the war in Ukraine that “the Russian military invasion of Ukraine is a clear aggression, an illegal and criminal war against a sovereign country. Albania has immediately condemned this unprovoked act of aggression, giving a first-hand contribution in the field of diplomacy, but also concrete military assistance.”

Further he said that the situation in Ukraine had also taught a great lesson. “The reluctance to resolutely implement the open door policy, the reluctance to accept countries that want to embrace Western values in NATO and the EU, is a big mistake. We need to raise our voices so that others understand the importance of Euro-Atlantic integration for all the countries of the Western Balkans," said Peleshi.

Albania along with North Macedonia is deadlocked in the process of the opening of the first intergovernmental conference with the EU as a Bulgarian veto on Skopje keeps frozen the progress of the accession process of these two countries.  

In the meantime, Minister Peleshi underlined the importance of Kosovo’s support in its aspirations for membership in international organizations, contributing to the strengthening of peace and security. He highlighted the fact that the Armed Forces of Albania and Croatia operate side by side in Kosovo.

Asked on the significance of the visit of the Croatian Minister of Defense to Albania, the Croatian Ambassador to Tirana Zlatko Kramaric told Albanian Daily News he thought that it was a very important event especially in today's circumstances.  

According to his impression the visit of the Defense Minister was very friendly, and some of the possibilities of future cooperation have been declared, but the intention is clear: “The visit was more of a message to others in the region: we are together, we have common interests, we agree on future aspects of military cooperation within the NATO format et cetera. We are directed at each other in all formats and initiatives and we must act together, because our interests are the same.”

In his view, military cooperation between Croatia and Albania is very important. “Finally, it must be clear to everyone that this type of cooperation is a fundamental precondition for all other forms of cooperation between Croatia and Albania. This cooperation also relaxes some suspicious aspects of the Open Balkans project against which Croatia is reserved. This reservation relates to its political aspect. Therefore, it is very important to show togetherness. And that togetherness must be real, especially today after Ukraine,” said Zagreb’s top diplomatic envoy to Tirana.  

“I believe that this visit can be defined by the final sentence from the film Casablanca - this is a continuation (eternal - this goes to other peoples of the Western Balkans) of the friendship of the two peoples,” said Ambassador Kramaric.  

Speaking of the crucial role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for the region, Kramaric said: “NATO is becoming a guarantor of the survival of Western values, and other members of the NATO alliance should be included in that narrative: Montenegro and North Macedonia. And there are Greece and Turkey, two key members of the alliance's southern wing. I think NATO is the best way to overcome the differences and open issues between these members. It can be a bridge of understanding!”