Deputy Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Joško Klisović 3 and 4 April 2014 attended a ministerial conference titled “NATO’s Open Door: Ten Years After the ‘Big Bang’” in Vilnius. The conference gathered the foreign and defence ministers of the states which acceded in 2004 and 2009 as well as aspirants.
Discussing the future of the Alliance, the ministers agreed that enlargement contributed to the development and prosperity of the new members as well as the Alliance itself, expressing support for the continuation of the Open Door policy and conviction that the upcoming summit would be an enlargement summit.
The conference was dominated by a discussion on Ukraine and NATO’s response to the threat on its eastern border as well as the need to strengthen the collective defence concept given the new circumstances.
Klisović underlined the importance of further NATO enlargement to encompass the countries which share the same value system as its members, emphasizing the positive effect of enlargement on the security and stability of Southeast Europe. He also cited Montenegro’s readiness for membership as well as the importance of unfreezing Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Membership Action Plan for the continuation of the defence system reforms.