Joint Press Point with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and the Prime Minister of Albania, Mr. Edi Rama

Prime Minister, it is a great pleasure to welcome you to NATO Headquarters just a few days after you took office.

 

The fact that you have chosen to come here at the start of your mandate shows your personal commitment to the Alliance. And we are very grateful for that.

 

Albania makes a valuable contribution to NATO. You make a valuable contribution to our missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo. And through your cooperation with your neighbours, you make a valuable contribution to security across the region.

 

This is a time of hope and opportunity in the Western Balkans. A time to build for the future, not look to the past.  

 

We have just discussed NATO’s busy agenda for the months to come. We are on track to complete our combat mission in Afghanistan at the end of next year. At the same time, we are preparing a new non-combat mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan forces after 2014. So that our hard-fought gains are sustained.

 

We are also stepping up training and exercises. We now have the most capable and best connected forces in NATO history. And we will keep them strong. To ensure that we continue to stand ready to deal with any challenge to our shared security.

 

This is particularly important at a time when all our nations face tough economic decisions. So we need to work even more closely together to maintain and acquire the capabilities that few of us can afford alone. And to provide our citizens with the best value for money.

 

Prime Minister, I know that I can count on your support in all these important efforts. And I look forward to working with you.

 

EDI RAMA (Prime Minister of Albania): Thank you very much. It has been an honour to be received and welcomed here and I want to underline, again, what I already said to you, that Albania will continue to be a member of this organization that will always fulfil all duties. We have taken a long time to come in and we will stay in the accomplishment of all our duties and obligations.

 

And you should be sure that we'll do all our best to be at the height of the reputation of this organization, both at home and abroad as Albanian presence.

 

OANA LUNGESCU (NATO Spokesperson): Thank you very much.