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During a visit to Croatia and Albania on 6 July - two of the three Balkan countries aspiring to join NATO - Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said their membership was not a question of “if”, but “when”.
Speaking in the Albanian Parliament at the end of his visit, Mr. De Hoop Scheffer commended the aspirants on “the impressive progress they have made in preparing for NATO membership“.
Performance-based process
Mr. De Hoop Scheffer said that the main aim of his visit was to reassure them that they will accede to NATO, if they keep up their efforts.
“Let there be no mistake -- there is still work to do,” he told the audience.
He singled out reform of the judiciary, the fight against corruption and defence reform as some of the key outstanding issues.
The Secretary General said that he was aware of the hopes in the three countries that invitations might be forthcoming in November, when NATO Heads of State and Government meet in Riga, the capital of Latvia.
He stressed, however, that NATO enlargement was never driven by deadlines, and said he was glad that there was greater realism now.
“It was, is, and remains a performance-based process,” he said, “And as I just pointed out, some work still needs to be done.”
The Secretary General’s visit to Croatia and Albania follows an earlier visit to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia¹.
The three countries are members of NATO’s Membership Action Plan, a NATO programme of advice, assistance and practical support tailored to the individual needs of countries wishing to join the Alliance.
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- Turkey recognises the Republic of Macedonia with its constitutional name.