Albania conference reviews NATO’s role in the Balkans
NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division sponsored a regional conference on "De-securitization and re-securitization of Western Balkan inter/intrastate relations”, taking place at the Albanian Institute for International Studies in Tirana on 21 February.
In preparation of the Strasbourg/Kehl Summit where Albania is expected to become a NATO member, the conference analyzed the challenges of de-securitization of both inter and intrastate relations in the Western Balkans, NATO’s contribution to the state-building process in the region and the way the Alliance’s presence is perceived by the Balkan states.
One year after Kosovo’s declaration of independence, participants reviewed the strategic environment in the region and discussed the involvement of NATO and the European Union in the process.