ADRIATIC-BALTIC-ATLANTIC MEETING OF MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND MINISTERS OF DEFENCE

It is my honor and great pleasure to be here today, to represent Ministry of Defense of Montenegro, on this important occasion, meeting together our Adriatic and regional neighbors and friends, our dear partners - Baltic countries and the United States.

I would particularly like to express my gratitude for understanding and support regarding the acceptance of Montenegro as a member of Partnership for Peace program. After regaining its statehood, Montenegro has clearly defined the strategic goals in which Euro Atlantic orientation was a prirority. Becoming memeber of the Partnership for Peace program was an important impetus for us to continue with our overall efforts, building democracy, human rights and the rule of law and thus contributing to the peace stability and prosperity of the region.

We accept our membership in Partnership for Peace and our new relation with NATO as a recognition for our achievements in democratic reforms, first of all those regarding the defense area. At the same time we are conscious that we are at the very beginning of the process, that we have to be very organized and efficient in order to fulfill our common goals and to be able to share the same values.

Although we have recently assumed defense function, we have achieved considerable progress so far. To this end, military conscription is abolished, number of soldiers was reduced for almost 54 per cent in the last two years and now the number of soldiers is below 2 500 (two thousand five hundred). We are undertaking a whole range of measures to face problems of the redundancy of employees in order to avoid possible social and political consequences. As an example, in cooperation with the Great Britain, Norway and Denmark we have already started a course on prequalification of non-commissioned officers and civilians. Respecting NATO standards budgetary expenditures for the Army will amount to more than 2 per cent of Gross Domestic Product, in this year. We have established Ministry of Defense in institutional, administrative and logistical aspect. At the same time, a decision on dissolving former Military Intelligence and Military Security Agency was adopted, that will be in line with modern standards organized within the Ministry of Defence.

Montenegro has also made significant progress in legislative field. We have adopted Strategy of National Security, which is the widest strategic document that considers national interests, security interests and objectives of Montenegro, challenges, risks, and threats against security and reaction of the state, as well as the structure of the system of national security. We are in the full process of creating and preparing Defense Strategy, Military Doctrine and Laws on army and defence. NATO and Pentagon experts are currently assisting Montenegro in finalizing these important strategic documents.

Establishing of our mission in NATO as an important step on our Euro Atlantic path, is currently under way. The Government of Montenegro formed a high level Council for Partnership for Peace that is chaired by the Prime Minister and co-chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense. It also includes Minister of Interior, Justice, Finance, Director of Police, Customs, Agency for National Security, Chief of General Staff and Head of the Parliamentary Board on Security and Defense. The Government also formed a Commission for inter-sectorial activities stemming from Partnership for Peace which will meet regularly at the lower level and coordinate all Partnership for Peace related activities in Montenegro.

Recognizing the importance of inclusion of civil society in this process, Atlantic Council for Montenegro was recently formed.

Montenegro will further continue to implement transparency in defense planning and budgeting, defense policy, and will develop mechanisms for democratic, civilian and parliamentarian control over the armed forces. We are determined to develop small, professional, modern, sustainable military forces that would be interoperable with armed forces of other countries and in this way would give active contribution to the collective defense, peace-building and conflict resolution as well as humanitarian missions and search and rescue missions within NATO, UN, EU, OSCE and other international organization. We would like to work hard with partners assistance on modernizing our military technology, armament and communication system, as well as on development of command structure and modern army organization that is under civilian and parliamentary control.

Once again, I would like to express my satisfaction that we are having here an opportunity to further develop the policy of good relations, peace and cooperation, which we are convinced to be our only future. We sincerely hope that such a policy would make our region contribute to the universal goals of peace and prosperity. This is also a valuable opportunity to share with our Baltic partners the experiences they have had on their successful way towards NATO membership and also to thank the United States for their support on this way.

At the end I would like to thank warmly our Estonian hosts for their excellent hospitality and organization of this meeting.





BORO VUČINIĆ
MINISTER OF DEFENCE OF MONTENEGRO