Andoni: The Tirana Agreement is an attempt to balance power in the Balkans

Political analyst from Tirana, Ben Andoni, believes that the formation of a military alliance between Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo is an attempt to balance power in the Western Balkans, and that Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Montenegro should be expected to join them soon.

"This appears to be a concrete attempt to balance power in the Balkans. It is true that this kind of initiative somewhat conflicts de jure with what NATO represents, but the smaller alliances among our countries go beyond a simple military agreement. Our countries are trying to survive in a time when the global order is going through many problems," Andoni told Kosovo Online.

He explains that even though this tripartite military alliance is not yet formal, it still sends a clear message, primarily to Serbia.

Andoni expects that other Balkan countries will soon join the initiative.

"They are facing Serbia, which since 2023 has had an agreement with Hungary, a powerful country within NATO and the European Union. Recently, these two countries have been increasingly materializing that agreement. Meanwhile, Bulgaria will soon join this Albanian initiative, and in the more distant future, perhaps North Macedonia and Montenegro as well. This shows that countries in the Balkans are taking steps that currently cannot be fully explained," Andoni noted.

He views the cooperation between Albania and Croatia from several angles.

First and foremost, he emphasizes, they share the same stance toward Serbia.

"Despite initiatives like the Open Balkan or the Berlin Process, they both see Serbia as problematic," Andoni explained.

Another key factor in the cooperation between Albania and Croatia is the development of the military industry.

"There is ongoing discussion about advancing our military infrastructure, which is currently 'dormant'. In cooperation with Croatia, the military industry could provide economic benefits to Albania, to our country, to Croatia, and also to Kosovo, which has even greater needs due to the challenges posed by Serbia. We are seeing that the military business is becoming increasingly significant in our region. The truth is that Serbia has outpaced us in this area, in terms of interest, strength, and above all in the agreements it is making in that sector," Andoni pointed out.

He is convinced that the tripartite military agreement is of vital importance for Albania, but even more so for Kosovo.

"I have not seen a more important step by Albania in relation to Kosovo than this military initiative, especially now that there is much talk about a reduction in American forces. This is partly due to the US position, but also to the increasingly close relationship between the US and Serbia. That makes Kosovo more exposed to whatever may happen in the future. But this also applies to Albania’s future. This kind of agreement can offer the greatest form of support, regardless of NATO’s Article 5, which refers to unity in the case of an attack on a member of the Alliance. But that article has been almost forgotten and remains only formally in effect," Andoni said.