Radmila Sekerinska (Photo: Print Screen YouTube)
NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Sekerinska has said that investing in defense, but above all political dialogue is important for the security and stability of the Western Balkans, which is also affected by geopolitical events, adding that the alliance's members in the region are making an important contribution to stability.
In an interview with BETA, on the sidelines of this week's meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Sekerinska said that NATO had always been calling on the authorities across the region to join dialogue, to solve their remaining political issues and support the region's prosperity and stability. "I believe that all the countries in the region can contribute and that they are interested in supporting the region's stability. That is why we expect everyone to extend support in that respect," Sekerinska said on Feb. 14.
Asked about a recent meeting of Croatian, Albanian and Kosovo defense officials and the first announcements of joint military exercises, as well as the reaction of the Serbian Defense Ministry which warned that this had the potential to produce long-term security consequences and destabilize the Western Balkans, Sekerinska said that Albania and Croatia were contributing to regional stability.
She added that NATO had not participated in either discussions or consultations on a declaration on cooperation in the area of defense which was signed by Zagreb, Tirana and Pristina in March last year, but that membership in NATO did not stop countries from having additional defense agreements with third parties.
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