NATO’s Belgrade Liaison: Alliance Respects Serbia’s Military Neutrality

Brigadier General Giampiero Romano (BETAPHOTO/AMIR HAMZAGIC)

Brigadier General Giampiero Romano, the new chief of the NATO Military Liaison Office in Belgrade, said on Feb. 6 that the Alliance fully respects Serbia’s declared policy of military neutrality and the country’s sovereign right to choose its own path.

Speaking for the Kurir daily, the general stated that “NATO and Serbia are not only partners but neighbors,” given that every other Balkan state is a member of the Alliance while some are also part of the EU.

“For the last 16 years, NATO and Serbia have been developing a mutually beneficial partnership that fully respects Serbia’s policy of military neutrality,” Romano said.

The general added that everything that is done is done at Serbia’s request and is “tailored to [Serbia’s] needs.”

Romano recalled numerous joint activities, including responses to states of emergency, the reform of Serbia’s security forces and the training of Serbian soldiers for peacekeeping missions.

The NATO chief also reiterated that the KFOR mission to Kosovo remains fully capable of fulfilling its mandate in keeping with U.N.S.C. Resolution 1244 from 1999, namely to ensure the safe and free movement for all communities in Kosovo.