NATO Welcomes Montenegro through its Open Door○NATO(2015.12.01)

【Comment】

一週前的新聞。

12月2日，北約無異議通過邀請蒙地內哥羅可以開始談判加入北約，談判在2016年初開始，談妥內容後，協議要將29個現有會員國國會通過，才能成為正式會員。

Alliance invites Montenegro to start accession talks to become member of NATO○NATO(2015.12.02)

NATO Foreign Ministers decided on Wednesday (2 December 2015) to invite Montenegro to start accession talks to become the 29th member of the Alliance. Secretary General hailed the decision as “historic.” He said; “this is a good day for Montenegro, a good day for the Western Balkans and a good day for the Alliance.”

The decision to invite Montenegro was taken during a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of Foreign Ministers.  Montenegro’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Igor Lukšić and Defence Minister, Professor Milica Pejanović-Đurišić were invited to join the meeting after the decision was taken.

Since 2009, NATO and Montenegro have worked closely together through the Membership Action Plan, which helps nations prepare for possible future membership.  The Secretary General said Wednesday’s decision reflected Montenegro’s “unwavering commitment to our common values and to international security.”  Mr. Stoltenberg said it was important for Montenegro to continue on its reform path, “on defence adaptation, on domestic reform, especially rule of law, and to continue to make progress in demonstrating public support for Montenegro’s NATO membership.”  The Secretary General said that the Alliance will continue to monitor progress in these areas as Allies start the accession talks and during the ratification process.

Wednesday’s decision will pave the way for accession talks to start in early 2016.  Once they are concluded, Allies will sign an accession protocol which will have to be ratified by parliaments in all 28 Allies.  Once that process is completed, Montenegro will be able to accede to the Washington Treaty and become a member of the Alliance.

NATO Welcomes Montenegro through its Open Door○NATO(2015.12.01)

This week, NATO Foreign Ministers unanimously agreed to invite Montenegro to begin accession talks to become the twenty-ninth member of the Alliance.  This is a historic occasion.  I congratulate the government and the people of Montenegro for everything they have achieved.

I have many fond memories of holidays spent in Montenegro during my childhood.  With its mountains and fjords, Montenegro reminded me of my own home in Norway.

Norway is a small country, but within NATO, its voice is as important as any other country’s, because all of our decisions are taken by consensus.  NATO guarantees Norway’s security.  NATO has been good for Norway’s security, as I am sure it will be for Montenegro’s.

Montenegro has travelled far since it became independent less than a decade ago.  It has re-established its sovereignty and consolidated its democratic institutions in accordance with European standards.  Working with NATO, Montenegrin armed forces are now stronger and better able to protect the Montenegrin people.  The start of formal NATO accession talks is yet another significant milestone.

NATO does not force any country to join it.  And this invitation is not aimed against anybody.  It is for our shared security.  It is about Montenegro freely choosing its own path as a sovereign nation.

The progress that Montenegro has made also helps to pave the way for membership of the European Union.  The countries of NATO and the EU are a community of modern democracies.  We share the same values.  And nine out of every ten EU citizens live in a NATO country.  Together, NATO’s Open Door and the enlargement of the EU have advanced security and stability throughout Europe and have contributed to our vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace.

This is not the end of the journey for Montenegro, but the start of a new stage.  The accession process is challenging.  It demands continued reforms, especially to further strengthen the rule of law and to fight corruption.  Montenegro must also continue to build public understanding of NATO membership and support for it.  Given the strong commitment that it has shown so far, I am confident that Montenegro will continue to do what is necessary.

Montenegro’s membership will also bring benefits for NATO.  It will further reinforce the security and stability of the Western Balkans, a region long held back by instability and conflict.  Montenegro has a proud military tradition, and has expertise in areas such as mountain warfare and maritime security.  And Montenegro’s membership will demonstrate to all those who aspire to membership that if a country delivers, so does NATO.  Our door remains open.

The world today is more unpredictable than it has been for many decades.  But when NATO Allies stand together in solidarity, we are strong.  The founding treaty of the Alliance states that an attack on one is an attack on us all.  For more than six decades, NATO has been responsible for an unparalleled level of security in Europe.  After centuries of conflict, NATO has given its members the stability and the confidence they need to grow and to prosper.

NATO membership made my own country safer, and it will make Montenegro safer too.  It will be good for Montenegro, it will be good for Europe, and it will be good for the Alliance.

The author is NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.  This opinion-editorial was published in three Montenegrin newspapers (Dnevne Novine, Pobjeda, and Vijesti) on Thursday 3 December 2015. Any use of this opinion piece should give attribution to the publishing outlets.