Close
Back
Download NATO’s broadcast-quality video content free of charge
Log in
No account?
Forgot your password?
NATO MULTIMEDIA ACCOUNT
Access NATO’s broadcast-quality video content free of charge
Create an account
Check your inbox and enter verification code
We have sent a verification code to your email address.
.
Enter the code to verify your account. This code will expire in 30 minutes.
You have successfully created your account
From now on you can download videos from our website
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would also like to subscribe to the newsletter and receive our latest updates, click on the button below.
Reset password
Enter the email address you registered with and we will send you a code to reset your password.
Reset password
We have sent a verification code to your email address.
Enter the code to verify your account. This code will expire in 30 minutes.
Create a new password
The password must be at least 12 characters long, no spaces, include upper/lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.
Your password has been updated
Click the button to return to the page you were on and log in with your new password.
Good afternoon.
President Nishani, I am very pleased to welcome you at NATO Headquarters.
Albania is a valued Ally. You are committed to our collective defence and to our operations. And you are making important contributions to our missions in Afghanistan and in Kosovo. We thank you for your steadfast support. And we thank your troops for their courage and professionalism.
Our mission in Afghanistan is challenging, but our strategy is set, and we are making steady progress. With our support, Afghan forces are on track to take full responsibility for their own security by the end of 2014. And we appreciate Albania’s efforts to pool training resources together with Croatia and partner countries from the region within the Adriatic Charter.
In Kosovo, NATO has been a guarantor of security and stability for over a decade. We have enforced our United Nations mandate for the benefit of all people in Kosovo. We will not let those gains be undermined.
Our Chicago summit made clear the importance that NATO continues to attach to the Western Balkans. Euro-Atlantic integration remains the most effective way to bring lasting stability to the region. And as a young member of our Alliance, Albania can be an example for the whole region.
NATO’s door remains open. We urge all countries aspiring to membership to demonstrate political commitment. A track record of reform and responsibility. And a new resolve to settle old disputes. There is still work to be done, but the future of the entire region is in the Euro-Atlantic family.
We have also discussed how we can ensure our security in a time of economic austerity. I congratulate you for your efforts to turn several of the Smart Defence projects we endorsed in Chicago into reality. You are also pursuing regional approaches to cooperation.
So Mr President, I appreciate Albania’s continued regional leadership, and I look forward to working with you.
BUJAR NISHANI (President of Albania): Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary General. I had, this afternoon, a good first meeting with the Secretary General of NATO, Rasmussen.
Albania is a member of the Alliance since three years already. One of the greatest achievements of my nation. Our discussions focussed on the situation in the region of the Western Balkans and its perspective for Euro-Atlantic integration. Needless to say, as a NATO member Albania has a particular interest in Kosovo, where the Alliance is running one of its success story operations, KFOR.
I assured the Secretary General for our unwavering support in seeing the core job through. At the same time we agreed that NATO will continue to fulfil its mandate to secure a safe and secure environment in Kosovo. We shared the same opinion that the partition of Kosovo is not an option and will not be allowed to happen.
We took note of the excellent progress achieved by the Kosovo Security Forces, in close cooperation with NATO. And agreed that it will soon achieve its final operation capabilities, while stressing that NATO should remain seized with the Kosovo Security Forces development in the future.
I am a firm believer that one day Kosovo will become a member of the Alliance. And Kosovo Security Forces troops will be able to serve shoulder and shoulder with Allied troops in service of peace and security.
We also discussed the enlargement policy of the Alliance, and I made clear that Albania has a particular interest to see the nations of the Western Balkans, that so wish, become members of the Alliance as soon as they have met the necessary criteria.
We will continue to be a strong supporter of the open door policy, convinced that it contributes to a better, more secure, and prosperous Europe.
We discussed ISAF, Afghanistan and the process of transition there, where the Albanian troops have been engaged for a long time already. Albania will continue to stay the course of the Alliance for as long as it takes, even after 2014. We'll abide by the principle "in together, out together" and are prepared to share the burden with other Allies.
Finally, we also discussed the implementation of Chicago decisions; in particular the Connected Force Initiative and the Smart Defence. And agreed that economic developments in the world should not make us forget about security obligations. Closer cooperation and swift implementation of Chicago decisions are to the benefit of the Alliance and in particular the smaller nations.
With that I would like, again, to thank the Secretary General for this first meeting. Thank you.
OANA LUNGESCU (NATO Spokesperson): Please introduce yourselves for the question. BBC.
Q: Mr. Secretary General, Matthew Price from the BBC. You just said that the Afghan forces are on track to take full responsibility by 2014, but if your top commanders on the ground don't trust those Afghan forces enough in order to continue automatically sending out joint patrols, how can that be the case? Isn't your policy in tatters?
ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN (NATO Secretary General): Let me stress that our partnership with the Afghan Forces continues, and we will continue to operate together. So our strategy remains the same.
I've spoken to General Allen about the measures that he has put in place to protect our troops. These measures are prudent and temporary, in response to the current situation. We have said all along that we will take every step necessary to minimize the risks to our troops and that's what we are doing. And let me be clear. We remain committed to our strategy. And we remain committed to our goal of seeing the Afghans fully in charge of their own security by the end of 2014. So that is the bottom line.
The goal is unchanged, the strategy remains the same, and the timeline remains the same.
OANA LUNGESCU: Associated Press.
Q: Slobo Lekic, Associated Press. Isn't this suspension of joint operations with the Afghan Army a tacit admission that the insurgents are now dictating events and that they have actually regained the strategic initiative in Afghanistan?
ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN: No, not at all. Actually, the fact that it is possible as a temporary measure to suspend some partnered activities reflect that Afghan Security Forces are able to operate on their own. We will continue to partner, to assist, to give advice, to train Afghan Security Forces. In some cases it may be that direct partnering will be suspended, which reflects that Afghan Security Forces are able to operate on their own.
So, again, I wold like to stress that the measures taken aim at reducing the risks for our troops. That's a responsibility of our commanders. But these measures don't change the overall strategy. It remains the same; that we will continue to hand over in a gradual process lead responsibility for the security to the Afghan Security Forces and that process will be completed by the end of 2014. And our ISAF combat mission will end by the end of 2014. Nothing has changed.
OANA LUNGESCU: Thank you very much.