Defence Minister Pejanović-Đurišić: NATO membership guarantees Western Balkan's peace and stability

Podgorica, Montenegro (18 October 2012) – The Western Balkan’s accession to the NATO is the best guarantee of peace, security and further regional development. The process of NATO integration is also complementary to clear priorities of all countries in the region in terms of EU integration, Defence Minister Milica Pejanović – Đurišić said at the panel discussion “Prospects for NATO Enlargement to Western Balkan”, which was held in the framework of the 14th Cetinje Parliamentary Forum.

“In the era of modern and asymmetric security challenges and threats, countries are no more capable of resolving increasingly complex security problems on their own, which creates a need for boosting cooperation at both regional and global levels,” she stressed.

Minister Pejanović-Đurišić noted that the best indicators of the Western Balkan countries’ commitment to collective security system is their willingness to send soldiers to international missions around the world, which makes the region not only the user of the collective security system’s services but also the active participant in the preservation of global peace.

Defence Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Muhamed Ibrahimović pointed out that his country’s membership in the NATO has no alternative and that it will work hard in order to pursue the reforms necessary to progress towards NATO membership.

The ministers agreed that the maintenance of these forums in the region contributes to the exchange of information and experiences, and to better understanding in the process of Euro-Atlantic integration.