Statement by Minister of Defence Olivera Injac on the occasion of the 72nd anniversary of the founding of NATO

Today, the North Atlantic Alliance celebrates the 72nd anniversary of the signing of the founding agreement in Washington. This date is also an important reminder that NATO is not only the strongest political and military alliance in history, but that it is primarily an organisation created on the basis of the idea and vision of a universal right to freedom framed by fundamental democratic principles. The basic pillar on which the partnership of 30 member states is now based is collective defence and is contained in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, which treats an attack on one NATO member state as an attack on all others.

Being part of such a system is a privilege for the state of Montenegro, and it is important to point out that we are celebrating the fourth anniversary of joining the North Atlantic Alliance in June. In addition to the opportunity to share common ideas and visions of Western democracies, Montenegro has gained the opportunity to influence the creation of global security policies through equal participation in the consensus decision-making.

In order to affirm the principles of a credible and reliable alliance, Montenegro is making a concrete contribution to the Alliance's joint efforts to strengthen collective security and preserve peace. In particular, members of the 5th contingent of the Armed Forces of Montenegro participate in the Multinational Battle Group, as part of the NATO mission of the Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) in Latvia. The mission in Kosovo includes members of the Ministry and the Armed Forces, and preparations are underway for the deployment of the first representative within the NATO mission in Iraq. It is also important to recall the successful completion of the engagement of Montenegrin soldiers in the ISAF and Resolute Support missions in Afghanistan, which lasted a full decade and in which 21 contingents with more than 550 members participated. This experience was crucial for the development of the full range of military capabilities, especially in the segment of achieving interoperability with the armed forces of various NATO partner countries.

As for the current security challenges, risks and threats we face today, they seem to be taking on a global character more than ever before, which also points to the importance of preserving transatlantic unity and cohesion within NATO. Aware of the fact that the strength lies in unity, Montenegro remains committed to its full contribution to the system of collective security through the affirmation of the values that the North Atlantic Alliance cherishes, but also through additional investments in the defence sector to further improve existing defence capacities.