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Minister Bošković in Brussels: Montenegro continues to be reliable NATO partner

Published on: Feb 13, 2020 10:00 PM Author: PR Service
On the second day of the North Atlantic Council meeting, NATO Ministers of Defence, commenting on the conclusions of the London Summit, stated that in the forthcoming period they will continue to work hard to strengthen Alliance'c capacity to deter all threats, regardless of possible strategic directions of their action. The ministers noted that NATO has shown that it remains a relevant player on the global agenda, as evidenced by the results achieved in the past, as well as the enviable level of the Alliance's ability to adapt to the changing security environment. It was confirmed that the Alliance remains strong, to which the solidarity of its members contributes significantly. In this context, the progress made in the area of defence appropriation has been commended and it has been noted that there has been steady growth in this area over the past year.

The ministers also considered measures that the Alliance would take to protect its territory and population after the termination of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

It was stated that NATO will remain firmly committed to acting in accordance with Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, and as a means of conflict prevention, a key concept of defence and deterrence will continue to be based on an appropriate combination of nuclear and conventional capabilities in the future.

Minister Predrag Bošković expressed his satisfaction with the progress in the implementation of the adapted NATO command structure, as all activities are carried out according to the planned dynamics. "The Alliance is increasingly prepared for the challenges it faces, and especially for those who have just been recognised these years. The Alliance's response is much more effective than it was in previous years," said Bošković. Talking about hybrid threats, Bošković said that Montenegro was ready to resist it and emphasised excellent cooperation with the US in the field of cyber defence. "Montenegro is today capable of significantly resisting the challenges of cyber and the complete hybrid impact on our country, where the flood of misinformation and false information has been most recently manifested in the campaign that is being ruthlessly fought against Montenegro. Although a small country with limited resources, Montenegro has so far shown that it can very well meet all the challenges,'' said Bošković, adding that the Law on Freedom of Religion was used as a trigger for brutal confrontation with Montenegro.

"It is becoming increasingly clear that these protests have the least to do with the Law, but above all with the political desires of certain entities in our country and beyond. Of course, we have learned certain lessons and I am sure that we will know how to face all these challenges, and that Montenegro will once again be an example of the coexistence of all nations and religions, because that is the key definition of our country," said Minister Bošković.

Answering the journalists' questions regarding the missions, the Minister stated that Montenegro, through the engagement of representatives, is contributing to the strengthening of the command structure, and that in the forthcoming period we will consider possible positions in which the members of the Armed Forces of Montenegro will be engaged. "We are ready to participate in the mission in Iraq. In my estimation, the first Montenegrin soldier could be part of that mission in the second part of this year," Bošković said. 

Aware of the need for equal burden-sharing as well as community and solidarity, Bošković emphasised that we would continue to implement responsibly the guidelines adopted at the Alliance level, and that our country was approaching the allocation of 2% of GDP for defence.

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