NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Šekerinska said that the Western Balkans is a region of exceptional importance for the Alliance and that the Alliance's message to the region is that existing problems cannot be solved through division and hatred, but through cooperation and hard work.
Opening the NATO Youth Summit, which is being held in Budva and organized by the Atlantic Alliance of Montenegro and NATO, Šekerinska said that she is happy that the summit is being held in Montenegro and in the region from which she herself comes.
This summit, she said, is proof that the Alliance values young leaders.
"When we talk about future generations, I am not talking about the distant future, but about all of you who are helping us shape the future. We are counting on your talent, contribution, creative aspects and professional attitudes, which will help us create a more secure Alliance and give us the opportunity to create a more prosperous world," said Šekerinska.
She said that the Western Balkans is a region of strategic importance for NATO.
"Since the 90s, we have seen that NATO supports peace, and we stand on those foundations today. Although we do not have a war today, like we did then, believe me, it was a terrifying experience and it affected everyone in the region. So 30 years ago, I was in your place, but we lived between war and peace and paid a high price, and while the countries in Eastern Europe were moving towards NATO and the EU, we were stuck," said Šekerinska.
She also believes that it is not enough to just be without war, but that cooperation within the region is also needed, and assessed that stability is being undermined by the nationalist and secessionist rhetoric that can be heard.
"Now we have a peaceful region, a region that cooperates, the main focus of most countries is on EU accession, many countries are members of NATO, but we still do not move forward with rhetoric that divides, we have nationalist and secessionist rhetoric and it is not just words. We saw in the 90s that words can be more dangerous than weapons and that they can lead to violence, and that is why our message to the Balkans is - this region is important to us, but we expect more from the region in solving problems. And problems cannot be solved through hatred and division, but through hard work and cooperation," emphasized Šekerinska.
"That is what we expect, what I am investing in and we will continue to be committed to this region and I call on everyone to help us create a better Western Balkans, more Western than Balkan," the NATO official added.
Speaking about preparations for the July NATO summit in The Hague, Šekerinska said that "if you want to avoid war, you must prepare for it."
"That is our philosophy, we invest in defense because we want to avoid war. If we show strength and unity, determination to protect all allies, that is the way to avoid war and we will dedicate ourselves to these goals at the NATO summit," emphasized Šekerinska.
The summit in The Hague, she said, will largely focus on a key goal - "which is how to make NATO even stronger."
"Let me explain what we mean by this. When we talk about a stronger Alliance, we are talking about unity, but also about the ability to truly defend all allies. So, we say 'all for one, one for all', but that means you really have to have the capacity, the capabilities, the military strength. That is why the focus of the summit in The Hague will be strongly focused on continuing the trend of increased defense spending. You know, when security is threatened, nothing else matters. I come from this region, when I was your age, most of Europe enjoyed the benefits of peace, but this region knew how important peace and security are. We know that the moment peace and security are threatened, everything else disappears," Šekerinska warned.
When times are challenging, she emphasized, we sometimes have to make difficult decisions.
"One of those tough decisions is that we need to invest more in defense. This has already started to happen across the Alliance. We have seen that many Allies are not only reaching two percent of GDP, which was NATO's goal more than ten years ago, but are significantly exceeding it. If you look in particular at countries close to Russia, they have moved to four percent, some have even promised five percent. This decision clearly reflects the threat that everyone feels. That is why the focus of the summit in The Hague will be largely on how to increase defense spending and how to strengthen the defense industrial base," said Šekerinska.
Routes: Security challenges require fresh thinking
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a video message released during the summit that the 32 NATO members are trying to keep the world safe.
In this, as he said, they expect the help of young people, who with their knowledge can help shape the Alliance.
"With war in Europe and increasing instability, we need NATO more than ever. That means we need your thoughts more than ever. NATO was there to protect me when I was young, even before I was born. NATO has made the entire Euro-Atlantic community safe. NATO is adapting for the future ahead and we cannot do it without you. We need your suggestions, your inspiration, your energy and your thinking. The security challenges we face today require fresh thinking. So if you are building a career in diplomacy, technology, defence, please come forward. Your voice is important for our common future. Fight for your place at the table and for your voice to be heard. This is not my NATO. It is yours. The Alliance is yours and that is why we need your big ideas, your concept for the future and the challenge we face today. That journey has begun and I have full confidence in you. Let's do this together," said Rute.
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