NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Šekerinska believes that the United States of America (USA) will remain committed to the Alliance, but expects all allies, including Montenegro, to contribute more to the alliance.
In an interview with "Vijesti", on the sidelines of the NATO Youth Summit in Budva, organized by the Atlantic Alliance, she said that "if the threat grows, the response must also grow stronger."
When asked how the radical change in American policy towards Europe, initiated by the US President, Donald tramp, could influence development across the European continent, especially in the Balkans and Montenegro, responded that they had had a series of meetings and consultations with the US.
“And there was a very clear message from Washington, and when the Secretary-General (Mark Rutte"(...) was there for meetings with US President Trump, but also when the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense joined our ministerial meetings. The message was clear and very strong: the US remains committed to the Alliance and the security of all Allies," said Šekerinska, a former Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia who was appointed NATO Deputy Secretary General in November last year.
According to her, the US commitment also comes with the expectation that European allies and Canada will contribute more.
"We are faced with a situation in which threats have become more complex and dangerous for Euro-Atlantic security. And we must act accordingly. If the threat is clear, our response must be strong. That is why the plan for our upcoming summit in The Hague is to develop the Alliance into an even stronger, fairer and more combative organization," she said.
According to her, this means that they expect all allies to do more in terms of defense spending, to meet their new capability goals, which are significantly more demanding - practically the most ambitious in the history of the Alliance.
"We have already seen that many Allies are not only reaching two percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) for defense, but significantly exceeding it. They have also significantly increased their support for Ukraine. What we see in Europe is that out of eight different commands and forward-deployed forces, seven are led by European Allies. So this is an ongoing process, in which the Alliance is becoming fairer in terms of burden sharing," said Šekerinska.
The alliance, she added, must be more combative, not because it has changed its philosophy, it still remains a defensive alliance, but because it must show that it can defend and deter.
"This is how war is avoided - by showing determination to defend every ally. That is the message we are getting from the US, and the message we plan to send from The Hague," she said.
The NATO summit will be held from June 24 to 26 in The Hague.
US troops will not withdraw from Kosovo
Sekerinska does not think that the US military can withdraw from Kosovo.
"No, what we are saying is that all allies need to contribute more. And in that respect, that is exactly what we are seeing. For example, even KFOR is currently led by a European ally, which is important for all allies, but especially for European ones, especially for those who are closer to this region," she said.
According to her, the fact that NATO members' defense spending has increased further in the last six months is the result of the war in Ukraine, but also of strong demands from Washington, as Washington expects a fairer distribution of the burden between Europe, Canada, and the US.
"We believe that this leads us towards an even stronger Alliance, which remains a pillar of collective defense. And of course, cooperation with the EU on this issue will continue," she said, without answering specifically when asked what she thought about the formation of a European Union (EU) army, which has been announced for years.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen presented a five-point plan in March to rearm Europe, which could mobilise nearly €800 billion for a secure and resilient Europe. The plans to boost Europe's defence capabilities came after a tense meeting between Trump and the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington. Trump is pressuring other NATO members to increase their defense spending to five percent of GDP from the current target of two percent.
Commenting on the military agreement signed by Croatia, Albania and Kosovo in mid-March, Šekerinska said that it was nothing unusual.
"Our alliance brings together 32 countries that still have their sovereign right to conclude agreements with other countries. I come from a country that recently joined the Alliance, in 2020, but I remember that we had various defense agreements with NATO members before. So, this is nothing unusual. We trust our allies, especially those from the region, to want to further contribute to regional security. But this is not an agreement concluded within the framework of NATO," she pointed out.
This is how war is avoided - by demonstrating our determination to defend every ally. That is the message we are getting from the US, and the message we plan to send from The Hague.
Croatia, Albania and Kosovo signed an agreement or declaration in Tirana on March 18, which, according to the Croatian Ministry of Defense, emphasizes the importance of "a joint response to security challenges, hybrid threats and other risks that could jeopardize the stability of the region."
Šekerinska stated that these are reliable allies, and believes that the goal of everyone, including NATO, is to invest in a more stable Western Balkans.
"That's why we have three members from the region. We also have partners, like Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Serbia. We see no reason for a different narrative," she said.
No need to react before something happens.
When asked if she found it controversial that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico would attend the Victory Parade on May 9 in Moscow, she replied that there was no need to react before something happens.
"We, as an Alliance, have sent a clear message that Russia is a threat. By starting the war in Ukraine, it has become a threat to the security and stability of allies and the Alliance itself. This is a position that NATO has held for some time," said Šekerinska.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kalas has warned European leaders not to participate in military celebrations in Moscow and to instead show solidarity with Ukraine.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić also announced his attendance at the military parade in Moscow.
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