Original article (in Croatian) was published on 18/4/2024; Author: Ivan Nekić
Although there were rumors that Bulgaria was also interested in signing the declaration, the Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs denied it.
The joint declaration on defense cooperation between Albania, Kosovo, and Croatia has become a source of inspiration for disinformation on social media. Although it is not a new military alliance, it is a declaration in which the signatories express their intention to strengthen trilateral security and defense cooperation with the goal of increasing security in Southeast Europe. As expected, the declaration was met with strong criticism from the Serbian authorities, given that one of the signatories is Kosovo, which Serbia still does not officially recognize as a state.
In a Facebook post (archived here), the following information also appeared:
Bulgaria has officially confirmed that it will join the new military alliance created by Croatia, Albania, and Kosovo.
Bulgarian minister denies: We are not interested in signing the declaration
Although Albania and Kosovo noted that there was Bulgarian interest in joining the declaration, official Sofia has denied this. The Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that reports of Bulgaria’s interest in signing the declaration are incorrect. Minister Georg Georgiev told the Bulgarian news agency BTA that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received a copy of the signed document but did not sign it, nor was Bulgaria invited to join.
“Bulgaria is aware of the initiative by Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo and is carefully analysing the text of the joint declaration of the defense ministers of the three countries, signed in Tirana on March 18, 2025. Public reports about unofficial Bulgarian interest in joining this declaration are inaccurate”, said Georgiev. He added: “The Ministry officially received a copy of the signed document via a verbal note from the Albanian Embassy in Sofia on March 25, 2025. At no point was the Ministry, or the Bulgarian side, asked or consulted about the initiative, nor was there an official invitation to join”, Georgiev responded, as reported by EuroNews.
The BTA agency recalls that it was the Albanian Minister of Defense, Pirro Vengu, and the Kosovar Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, who stated that there was Bulgarian interest in joining the declaration.
What was actually signed by Albania, Kosovo, and Croatia?
On March 18, Croatia, Albania, and Kosovo signed a declaration on strengthening defense cooperation, confirming their “intention to enhance trilateral security and defense cooperation to improve security and stability in Southeast Europe and the Adriatic-Ionian region”. The declaration emphasizes “the importance of joint efforts in addressing new security challenges, hybrid threats, and other risks that may endanger regional, European, and international stability”.
“We are determined to ensure readiness to face current and future threats and achieve our defense and security goals”, the declaration states. It was signed in Tirana by the defense ministers of the three countries: Ivan Anusic, Pirro Vengu, and Ejup Maqedonci.
According to Hina, the declaration highlights four areas of cooperation: promotion of defense capabilities and industrial cooperation, improvement of interoperability through education, training, and exercises, combating hybrid threats and strengthening resilience, and providing support for Euro-Atlantic integration.
This means, among other things, exploring “possibilities for the development and procurement of defense capabilities through multinational solutions to increase the readiness of military forces”, as well as increased “investment in new technologies and innovations to accelerate and secure a unified approach to security and defense transformation”.
The same declaration also states that interoperability will be enhanced through “the exchange of expertise and best practices in recruitment, development, and retention of qualified personnel”, “improvement of individual and collective education and training opportunities through appropriate military academies and higher military education institutions”, and “strengthening bilateral and/or trilateral exercises in accordance with NATO and EU training and exercise policies to ensure proper force preparedness”.
In the fight against hybrid threats, the three countries state that they will explore, among other things, “response options to a wide range of potential threats to critical infrastructure and communication networks”.
In terms of support for European integration, Croatia, Albania, and Kosovo agreed on “closer cooperation and coordination for the full integration of Kosovo into regional security and defense initiatives”, as well as support for “Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic perspective through advocacy for its status in NATO’s Partnership for Peace”.
“This joint declaration was created in the spirit of friendship, solidarity, and mutual trust. It reflects the shared strategic visions of the Republic of Albania, the Republic of Croatia, and the Republic of Kosovo. It does not create any new international or intergovernmental legal obligations between the countries nor affect existing commitments with other countries”, the conclusion of the declaration states. The full text can be found at this link.
Vucic criticizes the signing of the declaration
The signed declaration sparked strong reactions in Serbia. Serbian Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic called the initiative “provocative”, while authorities in Belgrade announced that Serbia had been willing to consider cooperation in good faith with Croatia and Albania.
According to Serbia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “this initiative, carried out without Serbia but with Pristina, represents an open provocation and a blatant disregard of the reality on the ground”.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic also criticized it: “They have launched an arms race in our region, which is a difficult situation for us, but we understand their message. We will defend our country, deter them, and always successfully protect ourselves from any potential aggressor, even one this powerful”.
Responses from Anusic and Plenkovic
Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ivan Anusic responded to the criticism from Belgrade: “The time when Croatia asked Belgrade what it was allowed to do is over and will never return. We have been an independent country for 35 years, we endured five years of aggression and a policy that promoted such narratives. Croatia will sign declarations with whomever it wants, and cooperation with Albania and Kosovo is focused on knowledge exchange, military industry cooperation, and support for the Euro-Atlantic path of Albania and Kosovo…” wrote Anusic on platform X (formerly Twitter).
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic also replied to Vucic, saying the three countries did not need to ask either Serbia or NATO for permission. Plenkovic said that Croatia, Albania, and Kosovo signed the “memorandum based on their own decisions and assessments and do not need to ask anyone, neither Serbia nor NATO”.
“This is a memorandum of joint cooperation, it has no hostile character”, said Plenkovic.
To conclude, various disinformation has been circulating regarding the joint declaration on military cooperation between Albania, Kosovo, and Croatia, one of them being that Bulgaria is joining this “new alliance”. Although the Albanian and Kosovar defense ministers claimed that Bulgaria had expressed interest in joining, the Bulgarian foreign minister denied this. He stated that Bulgaria received the declaration via the Albanian Embassy but did not sign it and was not invited to do so. It is also important to note that the signed declaration only expresses the intention for closer military security cooperation in Southeast Europe and does not form any new alliance.