The accession of Albania to NATO took place in 2009. Albania's relationship with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) began in 1992 when it joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council.[1] In 1994, it entered NATO's Partnership for Peace, which began Albania's process of accession into the alliance.[2] In 1999, the country received a Membership Action Plan (MAP).[3] The country received an invitation to join at the 2008 Bucharest Summit and became a full member on April 1, 2009.