The Balkans will be among the privileged issues on the NATO Summit agenda in Bucharest, said on Monday the State Secretary with Ministry of Foreign Affairs Victor Micula, responsible with organizing the Alliance's meeting over April 2-4, during the seminar 'NATO in southeastern Europe: reconstruction and security in the Balkans'.
'Our perspective on NATO future is an Alliance with a clear vision on Balkans, an Alliance with the capacity to cope with the risks and threats against our security and able to consolidate the partnerships with our neighbours and even further, with those sharing our goals,' said the State Secretary.
He said that Romania expects the meeting will address the alliance's enlargement with the Balkan candidates, Croatia, Albania and Republic of Macedonia, the strengthening of relations with the three states included in Partnership for Peace, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro, as well as the NATO operations in Kosovo (KFOR).
Micula reminded that Romania backs the Alliance's enlargement with all three candidate states, as these reached a satisfactory level of reforms, after 10 years of participation in MAP programme, but also Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro's accession to the Individual Action Plan for Partnership.
'Romania is one of the states participating in KFOR since early operations and will continue the mission in Kosovo. Although we do not recognize Kosovo's independence, this doesn't mean we abandon our responsibility in maintaining security in the region,' said the MAE official, adding that the KFOR soldiers can further act as connection between Serbians and Albanians in Kosovo.
The official stressed that the EU and NATO accession of states in the region is the only way to contradict Winston Churchill's statement, according to whom the Balkans tend to produce more history than they are capable to consume.
He showed that all Balkan states are connected, in a way or another, to NATO and EU, being thus united by the same values, goals and aspirations, and the region's chances to progress are based on this efficient motivation of Euro Atlantic integration. 'Romania's experience can confirm this,' said Micula.
According to the Romanian official, NATO's contribution to the democratization of the region is incontestable, although the Alliance is primarily a political-military organization.
The seminar held in Timisoara is organized by the Institute for Public Policies, in partnership with the Royal United Service Institute, with the support of the Defence Ministry and of the local authorities. At the Conference will participate also representatives of the Alliance, member states, Romanian MPs and representatives of the civil society of the states in the region.
(Source: Rompres)
