NATO Official: New Chapter Beginning in Relations with Serbia

Kevin Hamilton (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC)

Kevin Hamilton, deputy assistant general secretary of NATO, has said in Belgrade that the treaty organization is committed to its partnership with Serbia and described the first joint military exercise with the Army of Serbia as the beginning of a new chapter in relations between Serbia and NATO.

Hamilton, NATO deputy assistant general secretary for partnerships in the Political Affairs and Security Policy Division, told BETA in an interview that NATO wants its relations with Serbia to go as far as Serbia wants, and that it has no demands of Belgrade. I feel we are in a good place, he said, adding that NATO representatives often discuss the hopes and expectations for Serbia to be a force for stability and send positive messages across the Western Balkans with Serbian officials. He went on to say that Serbia is the largest and probably most influential state in this region of Europe and that is why NATO counts on Serbia as a partner striving for security and stability together with NATO.

Hamilton described the first Army of Serbia-NATO joint exercise, taking place in base South and the Borovac exercise grounds near Bujanovac, as a "symbol of progress" in relations between the two sides despite there having been some anti-NATO voices in Serbia and the region in previous years. We feel we are entering a new chapter of relations, he said, adding that NATO has approached Serbia in the effort to deepen relations and that he believed that the response so far has been cordial and commensurate, and that this was the tone and direction of relations NATO would like to continue.

Asked about the contrast between the first joint military exercise between the two sides  taking place and the years of anti-NATO narratives in the Serbian public, Hamilton said NATO cannot control what individuals in the political elite or the media will say about it, but can only act in a way that shows it is committed to its partnership with Serbia.