From NATO: On 1 April, Albania and Croatia marked one year as fully fledged members of NATO. Young Albanians celebrated the anniversary at the Albanian Parliament, where Assembly Speaker Jozefina Topalli told them that they were fortunate to live in a time of freedom.

Croatian Defence Ministry State Secretary Pjer Simunovic said in a press conference: "We can conclude that in the first year of its NATO membership, Croatia has proven to be a reliable NATO member, actively contributing to all levels of NATO activity.”

In April 2009, Albania and Croatia were welcomed into the Alliance – the result of long years of hard work completing the necessary reforms, said then Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. A few days later, NATO Headquarters in Brussels marked the two countries’ accession in a flag-raising ceremony.  (photo: NATO)

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