Shekerinska: Serbian Authorities Should Point Out Benefits of Partnership with NATO

Radmila Shekerinska (Photo:NATO)

Radmila Shekerinska, deputy secretary general of NATO, has said in Brussels that regional stability is the focus of cooperation between that organization and Serbia, but that public narratives are important too, and urged the Serbian authorities to point out the benefits of the country's partnership with the military alliance.

In an interview with BETA on the sidelines of last week's meeting of NATO member countries' foreign ministers, Shekerinska said the Treaty Organization continued to reiterate the message that "narratives matter" and the fact that the partnership has the support of the Serbian authorities. "Public communication is relevant and important. We strongly urge and expect all institutions and all representatives of the government of Serbia to speak publicly about the background of our partnership and its benefits," Shekerinska, formerly the defense minister of North Macedonia (2017-2022), said.

Asked to comment on the security situation in Serbia after months of protests and numerous incidents in the streets, Shekerinska said that NATO "strives not to comment on internal events in any country, whether a member or partner."

"We have said several times in the last months that we believe the right to peaceful assembly and protest to be one of the fundamental principles of democratic societies and that we count on institutions in Serbia not just to support [that right] but to enable non-violent rallies, or protests, whose participants avoid all violence. We have sent that message everywhere, including Serbia," Shekerinska said.