Collective defense and readiness of the Alliance to respond to all security challenges provides us with protection, predictability and stability, strengthening the judiciary and building civil society, said the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović.
He said this at today's panel discussion entitled "75 years of NATO: A security shield in a world of uncertainty".
"75 years ago, Europe was recovering from the Second World War. The countries of Western Europe and North America founded NATO - a guarantee of collective peace. Joining NATO is an important step in the modern history of Montenegro," said Milatović.
He specified that NATO membership is a guarantee of overcoming regional problems and friction.
"Russian aggression against Ukraine is one of those. During the Cold War, Sweden and Finland did not feel the degree of threat that would shake their neutrality, and today they are members of NATO. The war in Ukraine is a problem of global security, especially on the eastern borders," Milatović added. .
He said that Crna Gira sympathizes with the sufferings of the Ukrainian people, and, as he said, provided assistance to that country through various mechanisms.
"The importance of NATO is also in the fact that it responds to numerous challenges such as hybrid threats, cyber attacks to which we have also been exposed. With the support of France and Slovenia, we are opening a regional center for cyber security in Podgorica," added Milatović.
He says that NATO is the foundation of security for all members, and that Montenegro is committed to regional stability.
"Montenegro does not have any issues with its neighbors. An unstable region cannot benefit any country," added Milatović.
He pointed out that, in addition to the president, it is necessary for all actors, and especially the government, as he stated, to harmonize the policy with the security policy of the European Union (EU) and NATO.
"It is important that Montenegro responds to the challenges, in order to leave a more promising country and society to the next generations," said Milatović.
The executive director of the Atlantic Alliance of Montenegro, Azra Karastanović, said that they are holding a conference aimed at marking the 75th anniversary of the NATO alliance.
"Russian aggression was intended to undermine the ties of the member states. That did not happen, but it was a catalyst for change," she said.
Deputy Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Public Diplomacy Carmen Romero said that NATO was founded on the promise that an attack on one is an attack on all.
"Russian aggression also affects other regions, including the Western Balkans. This anniversary is important to remind our one billion inhabitants across the Alliance of our values," said Romero.
The president of the Atlantic Alliance of Montenegro, Milica Pejanović Đurišić, congratulated the ambassadors of Sweden and Finland on their membership, adding that this is another proof of the integrity of the alliance.
"We had a very good experience in the field of defense. When it comes to Montenegro, I take the story back to 2006, when a number of us formed the ASCG. That was a big step forward that contributed to the fact that immediately after independence we conceived a foreign policy - not only membership in the EU, but also in NATO," said Pejanović Đurišić.
She said that there is no country that is able, as she says, to independently guarantee security, "we have come a very long way to membership, which is not the case with Finland and Sweden. We are no longer working on Euro-Atlantic integration, because we are already integrated in NATO. It is important that we adhere to that."
The British ambassador to Montenegro, Don McCann, said that they want to see NATO stronger, and that they want to cooperate with their allies.
"We are working with Montenegro to build cyber security," she said.
Anika Ben David, the ambassador of Sweden, said that Sweden abandoned the policy of neutrality which, as she stated, lasted for more than 2 centuries, "after the Napoleonic wars when we lost Finland to Russia, this lasted until the end of the Cold War, when we applied the doctrine of neutrality towards a policy of non-participation in wars."
She emphasized that military neutrality is unsustainable in today's world. "We know that democracy is the best system, the best defense. Neutrality is unsustainable and ineffective for us, and immoral."
The Ambassador of Finland to Montenegro, Niklas Lindqvist, said that in February 2022, support for NATO membership in Finland was 28%, and a few weeks later, after the attack, it was more than 50%.
"Before that, we had governments that mentioned NATO, the idea existed before. We concluded that membership would be a good idea, and the parliament voted for it with a large majority. We will see what will happen when the war ends, whether support will remain strong," said Lindqvist.
Atlantic Alliance Communications Manager Matija Otašević said that Serbia is formally neutral.
"On the one hand, the partnership is for peace, on the other hand, it is procuring weapons from Russia. Is change possible in Belgrade?", adds Otašević.
The executive director of the Council for Strategic Policies (CfSP) Nikola Lunić said that at the moment change is impossible in Serbia, and that, as he stated, education and emotions contributed to this.
"Emotional memory of 1999, and on the other hand populist politicians. We don't have a single party that is open to integration. Serbia's military neutrality is unsustainable," he added.
"Although Serbia has somewhat greater resources than Montenegro, it lacks one important thing - the potential of alliance. Milatović's message is a message to the entire region - this commitment to the collective system, Serbia has a pseudo-neutrality that cannot be sustained," said Lunić.
He stated that politicians often mention that the conflict in Kosovo is frozen.
"In the military context, it is preparation for war. We saw it in Nagorno-Karabakh. Where can we find a choice - one leader who will lead the nation. Military neutrality comes down to the concept of complete defense. It is not recognized even by international organizations. Serbia has no history of neutrality. Let's not make an equal sign between non-alignment and neutrality," he added.
"Vučić said that Serbia is militarily but not foreign-politically neutral. The European path has entered into the Constitution of Serbia. What we hear in the rhetoric is also through the media. Serbia will not and does not want to hear who was Russia's strategic partner in the 90s - it was Croatia "Russia delivered Croatia's cues. Jovan Jovanović Zmaj wrote a poem in which he says, "...thank you, thank you, Serbian mother, blessed are those who put their hopes in you," said Lunić.
When asked whether Montenegro can be safe from external conflicts that spill over, Pejanović Đurišić replied that what they see are open crisis points, "Not only the EU and NATO have shown how important it is to complete the security architecture."
"The response of our neighbors was not adequate. Neighbors are guided by short-term interests. We live in a time in this area where there is a lack of leadership. The influence of Russia and Serbia aims to show that Montenegro is not sustainable. I believe that the fact that Montenegro is recognized as a credible partner, where we have their support, so that everything we are facing can be overcome," she said.
McCann added that they are very proud of their strategic relations with Montenegro.
"We care about ties and want to deepen and strengthen them. We work closely with the armed forces and we want your armed forces to have access to education - the best military colleges," she said.
When asked how they see the role of Montenegro as the best candidate for EU membership, given the strong anti-NATO influences, Ben David replied that Montenegro made a strong geostrategic choice.
"The agenda for the future that Montenegro has chosen is the best agenda for the future. I think it is of crucial importance that the EU reform continues. Montenegro has a real chance to make an important breakthrough in the accession process through hard work in the assembly that really gives results. Focus on preserving the political landscape. We are at a historical turning point in Europe, Montenegro has a tangible chance to become the 28th member of the EU by 2028. We need Montenegro and countries that are firmly in their democratic orientation," said the Swedish ambassador.
Lindqvist added that stability in the region is linked to political will.
"A good way to fight against attacks from Russia, and to increase our cooperation between countries that believe in the international order. It depends on the countries of the Western Balkans how they will develop in this sense. We are still in the OSCE. The problem is that one member is waging a war, but next year Finland will preside, we'll see how we solve that problem. You have countries that know each other well and cooperate in different sectors. The Western Balkans can gain a lot if it develops in that direction," he added.
When asked that Serbia spent almost 3 billion on armaments, and received weapons from Russia. Why is Serbia arming itself?
Lunić specified that Serbia had an allocation for the military budget of two percent, and reduced it to 1,75 percent this year.
"Vučić announced new allocations. If we look at the concept of military neutrality, the allocations are small. It is not possible to create a total defense with such allocations. Wars are won by financial resources. Serbia respects the rules of arms exports, but weapons from Serbia still end up in Ukraine," he added.
He pointed out that Vučić met with Zelenski three times.
"The Serbian public is under the illusion that Russian tanks will appear on the Danube. We know that Serbia's economic activity depends mostly on cooperation with the EU. We heard that when the railway connection with Bulgaria was opened. Montenegro, with its 75 million military budget, certainly has limited resources to contribute. It's not the size of the contribution that matters, it's the commitment. The famous Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty - an attack on one country is an attack on all," he said.
He emphasized that not every country commits to entering the war, "certainly the world and the security architecture are changing."
When asked how determined the ruling DPS was about joining NATO, Pejanović Đurišić said that all political entities have hesitations and recalculations.
She added that she has not been part of the DPS structure since 2002.
"The adoption of values at all levels, and we partially succeeded in that. Communication with citizens was not the most effective. The parameter of NATO support fluctuates in Britain as well. In our case, additionally due to the emotions and memories of 1999. It is susceptible to being used for manipulation. Another element that shows how much it's important to build institutions. If we don't have institutions, ministries, it's an empty shell that will return to us," said Pejanović Đurišić.
When asked whether they will defend the USA if Trump becomes president again, they said that the USA has been their partner for a long time, that they think they will, Swedish Ambassador Ben David said that as a diplomat she does not want to say in advance, but that she will discuss it if it happens.
Bonus video:
