Since the end of the cold war Albania and Turkey have developed a close security relation. This relation 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 compatible with the interests of its euro Atlantic allies. This paper argues that despite the importance of the bilateral defence and security cooperation with Turkey, Albanian defence and security must remain fully anchored in the euro Atlantic structures.

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