U.S. Representative: Cooperation with U.S., NATO Makes Most Sense for Serbia

Matthew Whitake (Photo: YouTube)

Matthew Whitaker, the U.S. permanent representative to NATO, said on April 22 that when one compares Serbia’s potential security partners, “the choice that makes most sense – geographically and strategically – is closer cooperation with the United States and NATO.”

“Instability is the greatest security risk in the Balkans. Unresolved issues between neighbors and susceptibility to the harmful influence of outside forces are a dangerous combination. Good relations with neighboring countries, integration into European security systems and a way of thinking focused on the future are the best defense against these weaknesses. And what the United States, NATO and Serbia have in common are key interests in maintaining peace and stability in the region,” Whitaker wrote in an op-ed for the Politika daily.

Mentioning Serbia and NATO’s upcoming joint military exercise, Whitaker stressed that it is the time “for a new chapter in our relations, focused on the future instead of the past.”

“Defense and security cooperation with unreliable partners creates long-term strategic dependence which is difficult to shed. In addition, acquiring defense technology which is operatively incompatible with European or American systems, and of inferior quality, complicates future cooperation and creates unnecessary obstacles to the future growth of Serbia’s military readiness,” the NATO representative concluded.