International seminar "NATO integration - the upcoming expansion and its implications for Southeast Europe" was held in the Centre for Security Cooperation (RACVIAC) on Wednesday, December 2.
International seminar "NATO integration - the upcoming expansion and its implications for Southeast Europe" was held in the Centre for Security Cooperation (RACVIAC) on Wednesday, December 2.
Senior NATO officials, representatives of the ministries of foreign affairs and defence of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Serbia and from the George C. Marshall European Centre for Security Studies attended the seminar. The seminar was opened by the RACVIAC Deputy Director Colonel Zeljko Cepanec. Full day program consisted of the two thematic panels: "The Role of NATO and the priorities of South East Europe" and "South East Europe on its path towards Euro - Atlantic integration".
The first speaker and moderator of the first panel discussion, Deputy Director of Military Cooperation Directorate of NATO Command in Naples, Colonel Nicolas Kotchine commented on the current NATO mission in Southeastern Europe, military-political significance they had in these countries, and perspectives for continued NATO presence in the region. During second thematic panel, whose moderator and introductory speaker was Sabri Ergen from the Department for Defence Policy and Planning of NATO headquarters in Brussels, the discussion was on political - military - security impact on the Southeastern Europe by NATO presence in the region.
The discussion was also on the importance of initiatives in the direction of supporting the integration processes and regional security which in recent years was launched by the European Union, such as the Lisbon Treaty, which has recently entered into force and the ESDP (European Security and Defence Policy) – a very important element of the common security and defence policy in Europe.
Final lecture was given by Dr. Dragan Lozancic, a professor at the George C. Marshall European Centre for Security Studies, who was speaking on the processes that candidate countries must take to join NATO, but also about the challenges and obligations of membership, in particular of new member countries.
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