摘要：The US-Adriatic Charter, an initiative in the spirit of the 1998 U.S.-Baltic Charter, was proposed jointly by the Presidents of Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia to President Bush at the NATO Prague Summit in November 2002. It was signed by four ministers of foreign affairs in Tirana on 2 May 2003. The Charter as a diplomatic project had two objectives – to secure the open door NATO policy and to provide the framework for the cooperation and mutual support of candidate countries. It was successful on both accounts. The Charter partners made strong commitments in the areas such as democratic reforms and the creation of the conditions for NATO membership. An additional effect of the Charter has been the very palpable progress in the relationships of the countries of South East Europe by improving the security conditions in the region. The US-Adriatic Charter of Partnership is a successful example of cooperation among small states with common interests.
关键词：NATO; enlargement; South-East Europe; security; defense policy; USA; Adriatic Charter; Croatia; Vilnius group
