NATO Summit: Commitment to stability of the WB, strengthening ties with Serbia beneficial

VILNIUS – Heads of state and government of NATO countries yesterday adopted a communiqué in the context of the first day of the Summit of the Alliance in Vilnius, Lithuania. Among the issues addressed, NATO expressed commitment to the stability of the Western Balkans and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and assessed that strengthening of relations with Serbia would be of mutual benefit.

The 2023 NATO Summit in Lithuania is taking place against the backdrop of the continuing war in Ukraine. The topics of the meeting include the support for Ukraine, admission of Sweden as the newest member of NATO, deterrence and defense, investments and partnerships in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region.

On Tuesday, the leaders issued a 90-point communiqué covering a wide range of issues. Three points focused on the Western Balkans. According to the communiqué, the region is of strategic importance for NATO as highlighted by the long history of cooperation and operations.

“We remain strongly committed to the security and stability of the Western Balkans by supporting reforms that advance the respective NATO and EU aspirations of the countries in the region. We will continue to enhance our political dialogue and practical cooperation in order to support reforms, regional peace and security, and counter malign influence, including disinformation, hybrid, and cyber threats, posed by both state and non-state actors”, the statement reads.

The region requires continued attention and commitment from the Alliance and the international community to counter these challenges, NATO leaders assessed.

“Democratic values, the rule of law, domestic reforms, and good neighbourly relations are vital for regional cooperation and Euro-Atlantic integration, and we look to continued progress in this regard”, they added.

In another point of the Communiqué, NATO leaders stated that they supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a stable and secure Bosnia and Herzegovina, in accordance with the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and other relevant international agreements.

“We encourage domestic reconciliation, and urge political leaders to refrain from divisive and secessionist rhetoric and actions. We remain committed to the country’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations. We continue to support reform efforts, including through the newly agreed Defence Capacity Building package, NATO HQ Sarajevo, and wide-ranging cooperative security and partnership tools, and through the country’s Reform Programme with NATO”, the statement reads.

The leaders encouraged Bosnia and Herzegovina to take advantage of NATO’s support and intensify efforts to make progress on reforms in key areas, including the much-needed political, electoral, rule of law, economic, and defence reforms, without prejudice to a final decision on NATO membership.

The document also turned its attention to Serbia, stressing that strengthening NATO-Serbia relations would be of benefit to the Alliance, to Serbia, and to the whole region.

“We look to Serbia to engage with NATO and its neighbours in a constructive manner, including in its public communications on the mutual benefits of NATO-Serbia cooperation. We support the EU-facilitated Dialogue and other efforts aimed at the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, and urge the sides to seize the moment and engage in good faith towards reaching a lasting political solution.  We call on both sides to immediately de-escalate, return to dialogue, and engage constructively in implementing the agreement on the path to normalisation between Belgrade and Pristina reached recently in Brussels and Ohrid”, the communiqué concluded.

Other points of the statement condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, expressed support to the government and people of Ukraine, fight against terrorism, relations with China, nuclear weapons and other topics.