Albanian Institute for International Studies Invited as Institutional Partner at NATO Public Forum 2025

TIRANA TIMES Albania April 7,— The Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS) has been invited to serve as an Institutional Partner at the 2025 NATO Public Forum, set to take place on June 24-25 in The Hague during the NATO Summit. The invitation, extended by NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division, recognizes AIIS’s long-standing contributions to transatlantic security debates and research.

“We are honored to be invited once again as an Institutional Partner at the conference accompanying this year’s NATO Summit in the Netherlands, following last year’s summit in Washington,” said Albert Rakipi, Chairman of AIIS. “This invitation is a recognition of the more than two decades of work our institute has devoted to advancing the transatlantic dialogue, and it acknowledges our role in preparing Albania for NATO membership over the years.”

AIIS’s participation in the NATO Public Forum — organized in collaboration with the Government of the Netherlands, the Clingendael Institute, the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, and the Netherlands Atlantic Association — underscores the institute’s continued commitment to promoting cooperation, stability, and security on the international stage. As an Institutional Partner, AIIS joins a select group of organizations recognized for their work in fostering discourse on diplomacy and security.

AIIS has also been an associate member of the European Security and Defense College since May 2023, contributing through research, training, and public activities in the area of security and defense issues, both at the national level and also in the regional and European context. This involvement parallels AIIS’s contribution and engagement on NATO and other relevant security issues since its establishment.

Furthermore, AIIS leadership spearheaded the College of Europe’s Tirana campus project, presenting it to the Albanian government just days before the EU–Western Balkans Summit in Tirana in December 2022. “The College of Europe in Tirana has been, and remains, a strategic initiative for Albania, forging deeper connections between our country and the West,” Rakipi said, “and I am personally very proud that through this project we have helped the country secure a prestigious institution such as the College of Europe, which is another step in Albania’s European integration and places the country on the European map.”

The NATO Public Forum serves as a key venue for high-level discussions on global security, spanning topics such as climate change, emerging technologies, and evolving threats. The upcoming summit in The Hague, immediately following the Public Forum, is expected to address pressing international issues and shape the future trajectory of NATO and its member states. AIIS looks forward to offering insights on Albania’s perspective and engaging with leaders and experts from around the world. Further details about the institute’s participation will be announced as the event approaches.

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