Joksimovic: Albania is a significant country for NATO, given the opportunity to launch initiatives

The Director of the Center for Foreign Policy and former Serbian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Aleksandra Joksimovic, told Kosovo Online that Albania represents a significant country for NATO because Albania and Montenegro close off the maritime access to Europe. Given that Albania is also the largest NATO member state in the region, she says it is expected that Tirana was chosen to host the NATO summit in 2027.

The locations of NATO summits, she adds, rotate among member states, but she also points to the fact that the Deputy Secretary General of NATO is Radmila Shekerinska, a politician from North Macedonia, which, she says, indicates that NATO is giving considerable space to Western Balkan countries and paying great attention to the security risks that could arise from the region.

"Albania is currently in the focus of the European Union, primarily in the context of the accelerated negotiation process for membership, and in that context, many international conferences, meetings, and summits are being held in Tirana. Albania is being given the chance to present itself as a constructive international partner that initiates certain initiatives and engages in discussions on specific solutions. NATO-related issues are extremely important for Europe at this moment, particularly in terms of security," Joksimovic stated.

When asked whether Kosovo will benefit from Albania being significant to NATO and perceived as one of the EU candidate countries closest to membership, she said that while Tirana and Pristina do not always see eye to eye on many issues, Albania is undoubtedly one of the primary advocates of Kosovo’s independence and a consistent strategic supporter of Pristina.

"As for how this might play out in the future, I would say that as a member state, Albania can influence the European Union in terms of further developments in the region and the acceleration of the accession process, which would probably be in everyone's interest—not just Pristina’s. I wouldn’t necessarily focus solely on Albania’s potential to positively influence Pristina’s future, but rather on the entire region as a whole," said Joksimovic.

What is important for Serbia, she added, is to seek friends among future EU members, since currently, EU decisions are made by consensus.

"But for me, the most important thing would be if Serbia made the effort at this moment to try to return to the list of favored countries for the next round of EU enlargement, because I believe that would be the best outcome for Serbia," Joksimovic concluded.