CSDG Center for the Study of Democracy and Governance Albania-Turkey Security Relaons ⁿ ²⁰¹⁵ . Abstract Since the end of the cold war Albania and Turkey have developed a close security relaon. This relaon has been driven mostly by Turkey's policy approach towards the Balkans and Albania's need for a reliable security partner in the region. However, over the last decade Turkey has shown its readiness to pursue policies that are not always compable with the interests of its euro Atlanc allies. This paper argues that despite the importance of the bilateral defence and security cooperaon with Turkey, Albanian defence and security policy must remain fully anchored in the Euro Atlanc structures. 1. Introducon This paper discusses Albanian Turkish security relaons. Being almost inexistent unl the end of the Cold War, Albania and Turkey relaons in the defence and security have developed very close cooperaon over the last two and half decades and such cooperaon is set to deepen as Albania has declared Turkey as a key strategic ally. From the Albanian perspecve this relaon resulted mostly from Albania's need for a security alliance during the Yugoslav wars and at a later stage from its need to modernize the military in the process of achieving NATO membership. From the Turkish perspecve, this relaon is part Turkey's broader regional approach and Turkey's ambion to become a regional power in the Balkans, an ambion that to a large extent is linked with the challenges that the countries of the Western Balkans towards achieving EU membership. However, while Albanian security is fully anchored in the Euro-Atlanc realm and geared towards full EU membership, Turkey has shown that it is ready to pursue policies that are not necessarily coherent with the policies of its Euro- Atlanc allies. Against this seng, it is essenal that Albania maintains its www.csdgalbania.org relaons with Turkey but without losing its Euro-Atlanc orientaon. The first part of the paper examines the defence and security relaons between Albania and Turkey during the interwar, the cold war periods, and parcularly in the period aer the Cold War. The second part provides and analysis of Turkey's interests in the Balkans and Turkey's policy towards this region. The aim of this secon is to understand Albania's importance in the context of the Turkish foreign policy and the raonale of the Turkish support and assistance for the Albanian defence and security sector. The last part of the paper examines this relaon from the perspecve of Turkey's neo- Ooman foreign policy and the implicaons of this relaon for Albania. The aim of this paper is to provide a beer understanding of the defence and security relaons between Albania and Turkey and contribute to generang more research interest on this topic. 2. Albania's defence and security relaons with Turkey Albania and Turkey share a common legacy, as parts of the Ooman Empire, and simultaneous naon building processes. However despite this legacy, Albania and Turkey have found themselves in opposing camps throughout the 20th century unl the end of the cold war. Aer the collapse of the Ooman Empire and the establishment of the Turkish republic Albania and Turkey were quick to establish relaons by signing the friendship treaty in December 1923 in Ankara. Nonetheless during the interwar period the two countries failed to develop close relaons as Albania fell, under the Italian sphere of influence, which sparked concerns in the Balkan region,¹ including Turkey. Aer Second World War Turkey showed a renewed interest on Albania and was among the first countries to recognize the Albanian communist 1. Miller, William. "Albania government in 1945. However, due to the ideological divisions and opposing and her protectress." Foreign Affairs 5 (1926): 438. alliances the two countries failed to develop any close relaonship 2. Sülkü, Mehmed. "Polical throughout the Cold War.² Nonetheless, despite the limited relaons, there Relaons Between Turkey and were no tensions in the relaons between the two countries. Although Albania in the Post Cold War Turkey was a NATO member Albania voted in favour of Turkey on UN Period." Unpublished Thesis resoluon 2077 concerning Cyprus in December 1965. This gesture was Master Of Science in the Department Of Internaonal followed by the visit of the head of Turkish parliament in Albania in 1968 and Relaons, Middle East the signing of trade agreements in the same year.³ Albania became more Technical University (2010). open to trade with Turkey aer the breakup with China in 1978. 3. Sülkü 2010: 11 www.csdgalbania.org The end of the Cold War and the fall of ideological divisions created new opportunies for cooperaon. The erupon of the Yugoslav wars and Albania's fear of being pulled into the war speeded up the process. Albania was unprepared to face a military confrontaon with the Yugoslav army due to its obsolete military arsenal and poor combat readiness.⁴ Turkey was among the first countries to show its willingness to provide military support to Albania. In November 1991 the Chief of General Staff of Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) visited Albania, marking the beginning of the cooperaon which was formalised with the signing of a defence cooperaon agreement in 24 July 1992. One month later a Turkish military vessel visited the port of Durres and joint military exercise were held. Albania requested Turkey to provide aid to restructure its armed forces and improve its defences. Turkey responded to the request and a number of cooperaon and assistance projects were launched aimed at improving Albania's Armed Forces (AAF) training, capabilies, technology and infrastructures.⁵ Turkey dispatched military advisers to Albania and a number of Albanian military personal were sent to Turkey for various military educaon programs. In addion Turkey provided technical and monetary assistance to the AAF. The cooperaon between Albania and Turkey was promoted also by the USA also which interests in the region coincided with Turkey's.⁶ In June 1992 Albania joined the North Atlanc Council (NAC) so NATO also urged Turkey to provide military assistance to Albania. Turkey assumed a greater role 4. Directorate of Intelligence, when Albania joined the NATO Partnership for Peace in 1994.⁷ Office of European Analysis, The relaons with Turkey lost somewhat their momentum aer 1995 when Intelligence Memorandum, 5.'Albanian Armed Forces: the relaons between Albania and Greece begun to improve as Greece Unprepared for Confrontaon assumed a major role in the EU integraon process of the Balkan countries. with Serbia', 5 January 1993 In parcular the relaons with Turkey declined aer the 1997 crisis in Rubin, Barry M., and Kemal Albania, as Turkey was regarded by the socialist government as a supporter Kirişci, eds. Turkey in world of former president Berisha, following Turkey's decision to give asylum to a polics: an emerging mulregional power. Lynne number of intelligence and security officials who fled the country, including Rienner Publishers, 2001 the director of the Intelligence Service.⁸ Rubin and Kirişci 2001: 54 Relaons improved during the 1999 Kosovo crisis and the NATO air 7. Sülkü 2010. p.76 campaign during which Turkey provided substanal military support to the 8. Vickers, Miranda, and James operaons. Aer received the Membership Acon Plan (MAP) in the NATO's Pefer. Albanian Queson: Reshaping the Balkans. IB Washington Summit in 1999 Turkey was very acve in supporng Albania's Tauris, 2006. NATO membership process that was ulmately finalised in 2009. www.csdgalbania.org Turkish Armed Forces provided assistance for the educaon and training of a large number of Albanian military officers in Turkish Armed Forces universies and academies. Although other NATO countries provided support in the military educaon, Turkey ranks as the top country in this area. More than 2500 Albanian militaries have studied in the TAF academies since from 1992. Military cooperaon has increasingly strengthened and Turkey has provided hundreds of millions of USD in a number of projects. Some of the most important are the reconstrucon of the air force base in Kuçovë with the cost of 5 million USD, the upgrade of the naval base in Vlore, the training and support of the special commando troops, as well as other projects in military educaon, health and industry.⁹ Turkey has provided logiscal support to the Albanian mission in Afghanistan. The soldiers assigned to the 9 Hurriet Daily News , Turkey ISAF mission under the NATO framework have served their mandate within helps rebuild Albanian military air base, Ankara 5/24/2005 the Turkish troops unl 2012. In 2013 the TAF donated a package of three hp://www.hurriyetdailynews. million dollars to the AAF in military vehicles and other logiscal equipment. com/default.aspx?pageid=438 Other areas where Turkey has provided its support include the military &n=turkey-helps-rebuild- industry, the military police, the coast guard, the military intelligence, etc. In albanian-military-air-base- addion to the AAF, Turkey has provided aid and support to improve the 2005-05-24 10. Ministry of Defence of capacies of the Albanian State Police.¹⁰ Albania, Turkey donates $3 Albania and Turkey mutually consider each other as strategic allies and are million aid to Albania, 21 set to deepen their cooperaon.¹¹ Currently there are about thirty bilateral December 2013 agreements and protocols in the defence and security field that are being hp://www.mod.gov.al/eng/in implemented. dex.php?searchword=Turkey& searchphrase=all&Itemid=649 &opon=com_search Turkish interests and its policy towards the Balkans 11. Tase, Peter. Turkey and Albania: Strategic partnership Turkey has been interested in the security of the Balkans since the in a mul-polar world, Turkish establishment of the Turkish republic in 1923. During the interwar period Weekly 7 April 2014 hp://www.turkishweekly.net/ Turkey was a key player in the creaon of the Balkan Entente in 1934.