Albania became part of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE – then CSCE) during the Berlin Ministerial Council process (19-20 June 1991).
The Helsinki Final Act was signed by the Albanian authorities on 16 September 1991, followed by the signing of the Charter of Paris for a New Europe on 17 September 1991. This moment marked a fundamental change in the course of Albanian foreign policy, which would free Albania from international isolation and bring it closer to the Euro-Atlantic community, sharing the principles and values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law.
Albania’s accession to the OSCE was accompanied by profound legal reforms regarding human rights. The circumstances that enabled Albania to join the OSCE included the democratic movement of December 1990, the first pluralist elections, and the adoption of the Interim Constitutional Package on 29 April 1991. This Package included provisions recognizing political pluralism and respect for human rights.
In 1997, the Permanent Council decided, at the request of the Albanian Government, to send an OSCE Presence to Albania to help overcome the political crisis and lead the country to general elections, in accordance with OSCE commitments. The Danish Chairmanship, through its Special Envoy, former Austrian Chancellor Dr. Franz Vranitzky, mediated a resolution of the political crisis and facilitated the opening of an OSCE Presence in Albania. In a second phase, this Presence was redefined with an expanded mandate to include monitoring of the country’s north-eastern borders.
Later, in 2003, it was agreed to revise the following mandate in order to better reflect the country’s developments and progress.
Today, the OSCE Presence in Albania supports legal, judicial, and administrative reforms and assists the Albanian authorities in building parliamentary capacity, fighting corruption and promoting good governance, strengthening civil society, strengthening media freedom, etc.
Albania’s ever-increasing role in the region and beyond has led to a fundamental change in relations with the OSCE. Albania is no longer a consumer of OSCE expertise, but contributes substantially to preserving and strengthening the Organization’s role in the European security architecture.
Albania has entered a new phase of cooperation with the OSCE, that of partnership for the achievement of the country’s national priorities, in line with the aspirations for Albania’s integration into the European Union.
Albania’s most important engagement within the OSCE is the Organization’s Chairmanship in 2020. Although the Albanian OSCE Chairmanship faced unpredictable challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic, it resulted as one of the most successful Chairmanships in terms of decision-making and maintaining the functionality of the organization.
Thus, the Ministerial Council meeting held in Tirana on 3-4 December 2020 produced documents rich in number and substance: eleven in total and in all dimensions. The most important of this Ministerial was that the 57 participating States agreed on the appointment of the new Secretary General and the heads of the 4 OSCE institutions.
Albania’s membership and contribution to the OSCE has had and continues to have a focus on protecting and advancing our country’s interests in international organizations in Vienna, where Albania is a member.
Of particular importance during 2023 was the harmonization of the achievements of our OSCE Chairmanship in 2020 with the positions held and our objectives as a non-permanent member of the UNSC during 2022-2023.
In this context, our country’s contribution remains essential regarding:
- The war in Ukraine;
- Reaching consensus on the future OSCE Chairmanship and the 4 main leadership positions of the organization;
- Raising awareness regarding the situation of Albanians in the Presevo Valley;
- Joining in with declarations, as well as co-sponsoring EU resolutions, in accordance with one of the main objectives of our foreign policy to align 100% with the positions of the Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy;
- Representing our country in various OSCE panels and activities.
