Fact Sheet Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Washington, DC August 16, 2005
Adriatic Charter
Then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, together with his colleagues, Foreign Ministers Meta, Picula, and Mitreva, signed the Adriatic Charter in Tirana, Albania, May 2, 2003. The Adriatic Charter, an initiative in the spirit of the 1998 U.S.-Baltic Charter, was proposed jointly by the Presidents of Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia to President Bush at the NATO Prague Summit in November 2002. President Bush welcomed the Adriatic initiative as a strong contribution toward his vision of a Europe whole, free, and at peace. The Charter builds on the achievements of the NATO Prague Summit by reinforcing continued U.S. support for the Alliance's "Open Door," underscoring the goal of Albania's, Croatia's, and Macedonia's eventual full integration into NATO and other Euro-Atlantic institutions.
The Charter:
- Underlines Albania's, Croatia's, and Macedonia's dedication to strengthening their individual and cooperative efforts to intensify and hasten domestic reforms that enhance the security, prosperity, and stability of the region.
- Notes the tremendous accomplishments already achieved by Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration, outlines areas of continuing focus, and reiterates the intention of the United States to continue assisting the countries in implementing necessary reforms. Notes also that each aspirant country will be judged individually on its progress toward meeting standards for membership in Euro-Atlantic bodies.
- Reaffirms the parties' shared political commitment to strengthen democratic institutions, civil society, rule of law, market economies, and NATO-compatible militaries; to fight corruption and crime; and to protect human rights and civil liberties for all individuals in Albania, Croatia, Macedonia, and the other countries of southeast Europe.
- Emphasizes close bilateral, regional, and multilateral political, defense, and economic cooperation between the partners, and with their neighbors, as benefiting all the countries of southeast Europe by enhancing stability and accelerating the region's integration into European and transatlantic institutions.
The Adriatic Charter members most recently met in Tirana, Albania in May 2005, along with representatives from Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and seven neighboring NATO countries to discuss regional cooperation. Another meeting is being planned for late 2005. In August 2005, the Adriatic Charter sent a joint 12-person medical team to ISAF in Afghanistan, stationed in Kabul. This is the first such international mission the Adriatic Charter members have conducted jointly.
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