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| Second Annual International Conference: NATO, EU and the New Risks: a Southeast Europe Perspective
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29-30 October, 2004
Sofia, Bulgaria
Presentation by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of Montenegro Mr.Dragan Djurovic
Mr. Chairman,
Dear Ministers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honor and pleasure to greet you and thank our hosts for the organization of this gathering, which will certainly contribute to even better cooperation of our countries in fighting against all forms of security risks , which we unfortunately face every day.
Contrary to the cold-war period, when the main threat to security was clear, security threat today instable and constantly changing. From a security point of view, the Cold War called for the so-called “hard” security measures, which were mainly based on a short-term resolution of single problems by employing weapons. This approach was actually a reaction to events, without dealing with their root causes. The Cold War was followed by a period of globalization. The term widely used today is the so-called “soft” security, which implies a more systematic approach to the security problem, as well as search for a long-term solution for its cause. This way, instead of merely reacting to problems, we try to work on their prevention.
Within the context of changing of threats and challenges to the security at the global level, thus also in the Southeast Europe, the structure, means and priorities of the key European and Euro-Atlantic security structures, and primarily of NATO, have also changed.
As a consequence, NATO gave up its "cold-war" structure and faced with the new threats and challenges of the modern era. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is based on mutual security guarantees and commitment to the principle of collective defense which reflects in the Article 5 of NATO's Statute, but nevertheless, NATO gathered enough strength to recognize the new situation and adapt to it. If once the priority of NATO was Cold War, today its priority is definitely "hot-peace".
Terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass-destruction are primary recognized as new threats, as well as production of the biological, chemical and nuclear weapons and defense from cyber terrorism.
NATO changed its traditional focusing to Europe by employing its forces also outside the Old Continent borders. Its aim is to establish rapid availability of forces, where and when it is necessary, to act efficiently in all types of operations, inter-operational communicating, that is, compatibility of the system of commanding and controlling.
What is particularly important is that NATO continued to spread further to the East -seven East European countries have joined to the 19-members Alliance this year. NATO and Russia established new partnership in the form of NATO-Russia Council, and NATO-Ukraine Council, as well Mediterranean Dialog, were established.
Since seven countries from the so-called Vilnius Group joined the Alliance, three Regional countries - Croatia, Albania and Macedonia launched an initiative which includes joint cooperation in the process of accession to NATO. The initiative was named the Adriatic Group, and it resulted in signing the Adriatic Charter. This Charter, above all, promotes regional cooperation with the aim of assisting the countries of Western Balkans to join NATO as soon as possible.
As you know, Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina wish to join NATO “Partnership for Peace Program” as soon as possible, and in that context, our wish is to join to the group of countries gathered around this Charter.
Montenegro fully well comes immediate and unconditional fulfilling of all requests put before Serbia and Montenegro in order to join Partnership for Peace and NATO. We strongly believe that it is necessary to fully cooperate with the Hague Tribunal, without any reservation or postponing. We have the same position when it comes to other conditions needed for our membership in Partnership for Peace.
I am convinced that there are a lot of advantages of our desired membership in the NATO: increased security, contribution to the stability within the Region, improved and better organized military forces. That also means participating in decision-making process in terms of important strategic security decisions, and reduction of the possibility of conflicts, because NATO membership practically "integrates" conflicts.
EU, on the other hand, also had to adapt to the new security architecture, and in the past several years it has significantly developed its security and defense policy (ESDP).
Important steps have been made so far in establishing of rapid reaction forces, and the EU will also have autonomous capacity for military planning. As result of this, I have a pleasure to conclude that the EU already successfully took over missions in Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and successfully completed its mission in Kongo.
Future development of ESDP will mostly depend on the development of common foreign and security policy of EU. Europe will need years of investments and training in order to achieve the desired level of defense, but I am sure that it is going in the right direction in this sense.
I am convinced that by development of ESDP, EU did not establish the organization which is going to be competition to NATO, but complementary with it. Bearing in mind unpredictable and mobile character of the security threats today, I am sure that there is enough room for both NATO and ESDP within the region of Southeast Europe. Therefore, mutual cooperation is of key importance, and nobody should be excluded, since we are all equally in danger. We must not allow that security in Europe becomes political, but existential issue, which will be best solved by multilateral approach and agreement.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is clear that the biggest security threat that we face today is terrorism. Although terrorism can be an individual act, most commonly it stands for organized violence, supported behind the scenes by some political or other organizations, or even states.
The attack on the USA by radical Islamic terrorists in September 2001 and the beginning of the global war against terrorism resulted in total change in the security panorama in the world, and in a new era as to the understanding of the concept of security. In this new era of terrorism it is hard to identify an enemy, and security threat is mobile and asymmetric in relation to its target. Today, terrorism represents an attack on our stabile and deep-rooted values. It has huge capacity of destruction, especially in view of a rather easy access to new and modern technologies. Terrorism is most efficient when it is unexpected and when it affects people’s minds and imagination, making them feel insecure. Thus the extent of the psychological effect of the terrorist act becomes more effective than the act itself.
Terrorism is a phenomenon of a great media, political and expert attention and analyses. The latest events, with terrorists using the power of electronic media and the Internet, attest that the fight against this evil must be continued and extended, because terrorists keep on inventing new ways to perform their wicked acts.
Experience teaches us that terrorism, as a global phenomenon, is closely connected to organized crime and all its manifestations. Organized crime, together with corruption, which opens the door for organized crime, represents a threat to the rule of law and to the social prosperity in general. Organized crime ignores boundaries, which makes it a problem of the countries of Southeast Europe, Western Europe, or any other part of the world.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Montenegro is a small country in terms of its size and population, but at the same time it is a country with very important geo-strategic position and exit to the Adriatic Sea. In spite of its economic burden as transitional country, Montenegro is doing its best in order to contribute to common security on the global, as well on the regional level.
Montenegro does not plan to rely predominantly on military forces for its security in the future, but rather on modern and competent police forces. Montenegrin Police forces have already taken up a very important and responsible task of guarding Montenegrin borders. Our goal is to have police forces using modern the NATO-compatible equipment and standards, and to be interoperable with the NATO forces. The security of the Adriatic Sea is also of key importance for the security of whole Region. Montenegro’s immediate task is securing the so-called “blue border” on Adriatic Sea and Skadar Lake with our police forces. For this purpose, we soon plan to set up Coast Guard.
We soon intend to draft and adopt a Strategy of National Security. This should be a core document dealing with possible security threats for Montenegro and ways to deal with them. In this context, I would like to underline that the issue of national security and internal affairs is in exclusive competence of Montenegro, in accordance with the Constitutional Charter of the state union.
Montenegro strives for urgent reform and modernization of the Army and complete civilian control over it. Aiming to enable the full civilian control over the Army, we fully support the abolition of military courts and transfer of their competences civilian ones.
Our priority in fighting against terrorism and organized crime is successful protection of borders, monitoring the flow of persons and goods across land and sea borders, as well as modernization of travel documents and computer and intelligence networking with the aim to exchange information in this field. In that context, we fully support the introduction of the concept of so-called "smart borders", that is, borders which will allow undisturbed and fast flow of persons and goods, but at the same time reinforce the security measures used on them.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to stress that the strategic interest of the Republic of Montenegro is joining European and Euro-Atlantic integration, with respect to highest international standards in all fields. In that sense, our priority is membership in EU and membership in NATO Program Partnership for Peace, and consequently, the full membership in the North-Atlantic Treaty Organization. We are implementing all necessary reforms with this goal in mind. It our strong belief that it is only after all our countries become part of common security structures that the security prospect of Montenegro and the Region as a whole will be completed.
I would like to stress once again that Montenegro is doing its best in order to contribute to global security. We will continue to improve our capacities, in hope that if we all do our share, we will be able to eradicate problems which represent the biggest threat to security and stability in the world at the beginning of the 21st Century.
In that sense I wish to underline Montenegro’s commitment to better cooperation within the Region. In this sense, I see gatherings as this to be very important, and I wish to take this opportunity to greet you again and thank you for your attention. | |
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