Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Radmila Shekerinska, emphasized the strategic importance of the Western Balkans to the Alliance, stating that the message NATO conveys to the region is that existing challenges cannot be resolved through division and hatred, but rather through cooperation and hard work.<\/p>\n\n
At the opening of the NATO Youth Summit organized by the Atlantic Council of Montenegro and NATO in Budva, Shekerinska expressed how pleased she is that the Summit is taking place in Montenegro and in a region from which she herself originates. She underlined that this gathering is a clear demonstration of NATO\u2019s recognition of the value of young leaders. <\/p>\n\n
“When we speak of future generations, we are not referring to a distant future, but to all of you who are already helping us shape what lies ahead. We count on your talent, your contributions, your creativity, and your professional perspectives to help us build a safer Alliance and give us the opportunity to shape a more prosperous world”, Shekerinska stated. <\/p>\n\n
Shekerinska reiterated that the Western Balkans remain a region of strategic significance for NATO.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cWhile there is no active conflict today as there was in the 1990s, believe me, it was a harrowing experience that deeply affected everyone in the region. Thirty years ago, I was in your position, and we lived between war and peace, paying a heavy price. While countries in Eastern Europe advanced toward NATO and the EU, we remained stuck in the mire of the Balkan conflicts,\u201d Shekerinska reflected. <\/p>\n\n
She concluded by stressing that the mere absence of war is not enough \u2014 what is needed is robust regional cooperation. She warned that nationalistic and secessionist rhetoric continues to threaten.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cToday we have a peaceful region, a region that is cooperating. The majority of countries are focused on joining the European Union, many are already NATO members \u2014 yet we are still not moving forward due to divisive rhetoric. We continue to hear nationalist and secessionist narratives, and these are not just words. As we saw in the 1990s, words can be more dangerous than weapons. Words can incite violence. That is why NATO\u2019s message to the Balkans is clear: this region matters to us, but we expect more from it in resolving its challenges. And challenges cannot be resolved through hatred and division, but through hard work and cooperation\u201d, Shekerinska emphasized.<\/p>\n\n
Speaking about preparations for the NATO Summit in The Hague this June, Shekerinska stated that \u201cif you want to avoid war, you must be prepared for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\u201cThat is our philosophy \u2014 we invest in defense because we want to prevent war. If we demonstrate strength and unity, and the determination to protect all Allies, that is the way to avoid conflict. These goals will be central to our focus at the NATO Summit,\u201d Shekerinska emphasized.<\/p>\n\n
She noted that the Summit in The Hague will largely focus on a key objective \u2014 “how to make NATO stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\u201cWhen we talk about a stronger Alliance, we are referring to both unity and the actual capability to defend all Allies. We say, \u2018all for one, and one for all\u2019, but that means having the real capacity, the capabilities, the military power to back it up. That\u2019s why the Summit in The Hague will strongly focus on continuing the trend of increased defense spending. You know, when security is at risk, nothing else matters. I come from this region \u2014 when I was your age, much of Europe was enjoying the benefits of peace, but this region knew how essential peace and security are. We understand that when peace and security are under threat, everything else fades away\u201d Shekerinska warned. <\/p>\n\n
In challenging times, she stressed, we are sometimes required to make difficult decisions.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cOne of those difficult decisions is that we must invest more in defense. This is already happening across the Alliance. We have seen numerous Allies not only reach the 2% of GDP target \u2014 a NATO goal set more than a decade ago \u2014 but even exceed it. If you look at countries close to Russia, some have already moved toward 4%, with others pledging as much as 5%. This decision clearly reflects the threat we all perceive. That is why the focus of the Summit in The Hague will largely be on increasing defense spending and strengthening our defense industrial base,\u201d Shekerinska concluded. <\/p>\n\n
Rutte: Security Challenges Demand Fresh Thinking<\/strong><\/p>\n\n NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, in a video message shared during the NATO Youth Summit, said that the 32 NATO member states are working to keep the world safe. In this effort, he said, they count on the support of young people, who can help shape the Alliance with their knowledge. <\/p>\n\n \u201cWith war in Europe and growing instability, we need NATO more than ever. That means we need your thinking more than ever. NATO was there to protect me when I was young \u2014 even before I was born, NATO was keeping the entire Euro-Atlantic community safe. NATO is adapting for the future ahead of us, and we cannot do that without you. We need your suggestions, your inspiration, your energy, and your thinking. The security challenges we face today require fresh thinking. <\/p>\n\n So, if you are building a career in diplomacy, technology, defense \u2013 please step forward. Your voice is important for our shared future. Fight for your seat at the table and to have your voice heard. This is not my NATO. It\u2019s yours. The Alliance is yours, and that is why we need your big ideas, your vision for the future, and for the challenges we face today. This journey has begun, and I have full confidence in you. Let\u2019s do this together,\u201d Rutte said. <\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Radmila \u0160ekerinska, emphasized the strategic importance of the Western Balkans to the Alliance, stating that the message NATO conveys to the region is that existing challenges cannot be resolved through division and hatred, but rather through cooperation and hard work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25981,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"9","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31,1],"tags":[73,72,77,99,80,69],"class_list":["post-25983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news","tag-democracy","tag-montenegro","tag-nato-en","tag-nato-youth-summit-en","tag-region-en","tag-security"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25983"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25984,"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25983\/revisions\/25984"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascg.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}