Integration of Western Balkans into NATO guarantees peace in region

Integration of all Western Balkan countries in NATO is the best guarantee of peace in the region, said Minister of Defence Milica Pejanovic Djurisic at a meeting with her Estonian counterpart Hannes Hanso.

Minister Pejanovic-Djurisic emphasised Montenegro’s commitment to integration into European and Euro-Atlantic structures, hopeful that Estonia will continue to support Montenegro in achieving its strategic objective of full membership in NATO by sharing its experience and good practice.

She stated that in the modern age not a single country has insufficient capacity to tackle increasingly complex security problems on their own, and that Montenegro, as a future member, is willing to assume part of the responsibility in accomplishing objectives of the Alliance.

Minister Hanso acknowledged Montenegro’s results and the progress made towards membership in the Alliance. He stressed that Montenegro is recognised as a regional leader in the integration process and a reliable partner of the international community. He particularly emphasised Montenegro’s contribution to global security, highlighting the role of its Armed Forces in international missions and operations.

The two defence ministers also discussed mechanisms for boosting cooperation between Montenegro and Estonia with emphasis on the area of ​​cyber defence, bearing in mind Estonia’s achievements and capacity in that field.

Minister Pejanovic-Djurisic also visited the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, one of the foremost institutions for research and training, accredited by NATO, dealing with education, consultation, exchange of lessons learned, and research and development related to cyber-defence. She pointed out the possibility of training of members of the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces of Montenegro in this centre in order to improve capacities in this area.

Minister Pejanovic-Djurisic also visited the Amari Air Base, an Estonian military base, where she was informed about activities and tasks of this base in the field of air policing, which has been implemented through a model of rotating the presence of allied air forces of NATO.