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NATO goals in region are becoming stable, but slow going |
26 May 2012All eyes in the region were turned towards Chicago earlier this week for the NATO summit -- even though membership action was not on the agenda.
The conference, which focused on the withdrawal from Afghanistan and NATO military capacity, drew the majority of attention from the western Balkan countries that are hoping for Alliance accession.
"NАТО will continue to contribute to the stability and security of the Western Balkans," a declaration issued on Monday at the summit, read. The document describes the Western Balkans as a "strategically important" region.
"NATO's door will remain open to all European democracies which share the values of our Alliance, which are willing and able to assume the responsibilities and obligations of membership."
One of these countries is Montenegro. Although it is still waiting to be invited to join the Alliance, it has been commended for the efforts and reforms made towards this goal.
In the declaration, the Alliance lauded "the significant progress that Montenegro has made towards NATO membership and its contribution to security in the Western Balkans region and beyond, including through its active role in regional co-operation activities and its participation in ISAF."
Many in the country consider NATO membership as one of the most important for state security and its future. Pljevlja resident Milovan Pesic said the country should put forth its best effort to obtain this goal.
“I am really happy to hear that we are going in a good direction, but we have to be together -- NATO has to be joint goal of the whole nation," Pesic told SETimes.
According to Vlatko Cvrtila, professor of the Faculty of Political Sciences in Zagreb, Croatia was in a similar situation just before its call for full membership. According to him, Montenegro is in the best position for membership, but it still requires additional efforts.
“Montenegro must be aware that only sufficient defence reforms are not enough, but the overall political, economic and social, which should guarantee a stable and balanced development of the country. It should ensure this progress through the negotiation process with the EU," Cvrtila told SETimes.
When it comes to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) membership, however, there are more hurdles to be faced. Although the country has begun to implement its 2010 Action Plan for membership, the two entities are not on the same page.
On one side, Sarajevo fully supports the state's intention to be a part of the Alliance. On the other, Republika Srpska (RS) has taken a staunch pro-Serbia/anti-NATO stance.
Dzevad Galijasevic, director of the Bosnian department of the Southeast European expert team against organised crime, said, however, that due to the political changes in Serbia, RS could be placed in an important role in the region's security situation by assisting Serbia with its membership.
In that case, NATO accession will be beneficial -- especially for Serbia -- to get the country under a security "umbrella."
"NATO is necessary here to manage potential conflicts in Kosovo, Presevo, Bujanovac, Sandzak, BiH … as well as to help to Republika Srpska improve its international reputation," Galijasevic told SETimes.
Some officials in Belgrade are calling for a referendum on the country's Alliance membership -- which, due to the public climate, has little chance of passing.
Lidija Nedeljkovic, 28, a nurse from Belgrade, is strongly against NATO membership because of the Alliance's action in the country during the conflicts.
“They bombed us and we didn’t live normally for more than two months … If we become members, our people will have to go and bomb others although they are innocent … I do not want that!" Nedeljkovic told SETimes.
According to Jelena Milic, executive director of the Belgrade Centre for Euro-Atlantic Studies, regardless of the public's views, it is still possible to turn things around.
"Serbia has to join NATO -- not only as a military partner and for collective defence -- but also as a political partner of other liberal democracies and social democracies, which is necessary in order to resist numerous challenges of 21st century," Milic told SETimes |
26 May 2012
SETimes.com
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