ALBANIA'S PARLIAMENTARY RESOLUTION ON NATO MEMBERSHIP

UNCLAS TIRANA 000086 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/SCE E.O. 12958:N/A TAGS: NATO PGOV PREL AL SUBJECT: ALBANIA'S PARLIAMENTARY RESOLUTION ON NATO MEMBERSHIP ¶1. On January 21, Parliament passed a resolution declaring it would do whatever is necessary to receive an invitation to join NATO. The resolution was introduced by the opposition Socialist Party and passed unanimously. This is the first time in the history of Albania's democratic Parliament that an opposition-sponsored resolution has received unanimous support. ¶2. Begin text, unofficial translation of final resolution provided by the Director General of the Parliament. RESOLUTION ON ALBANIA'S MEMBERSHIP TO NATO The Parliament of the Republic of Albania, aware of the great importance that this year's NATO summit holds for our country, expressed its full support for all necessary and indispensable measures that must be taken for Albania to receive the historical invitation to become a member of NATO, and guarantees its willingness and decisiveness to meet all its obligations in this process. The Albanian Parliament, - following the natural course of Albania to join Euro-Atlantic structures, as a certain expansion of freedom and democracy, where Albanians, who support strongly NATO membership, perceive the democratic future of their country; - expressing their gratitude for the great assistance that NATO and member states have provided to Albania in all stages and programs of the membership process and acknowledging the achievements of our country in this course; - aware that the long-awaited invitation for NATO membership requires the continuous commitment and cooperation of all the parliamentary political forces; - aware of the difficulties of such a significant challenge and determined to face it, when the country has still much to do on the road to constructing a functional democracy and a political system based on a market economy; - expresses the conviction on the necessity to overcome political conflicts, on behalf of the climate of trust among the parliamentary political forces, for all the reforms and legal initiatives, which require an overall consensus based on the Constitution of Albania; - is committed to make use of all its capacities to assist in the fulfillment of judicial reforms, in compliance with the standards of the Euro-Atlantic family; - appraises the achievements of, and expresses its full solidarity and support for the Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania, encouraging them to accomplish the obligations of the NATO integration process; - expresses its readiness to support every initiative that speeds up the integrating steps into NATO and encourages the Government, other state institutions and the civil society to do the same; - confirms its commitment to peace, security, stability, understanding and regional cooperation, which is further consolidated at the proclamation of Kosovo's independence, as the logical outcome of the dynamics of the regional developments and NATO's direct commitment. End text. WITHERS