Ambassador Lute on BiH's NATO accession: It all depends on you, but work on reforms

On the occasion of the announcement of the two-day meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers, which begins today, US Ambassador to NATO Douglas Lute held a teleconference for the media yesterday, which included numerous representatives of European media, including the Patria News Agency.

US Secretary of State John Kerry will also join the two-day convention, which is being held exactly 50 days before the NATO summit announced for July in Warsaw, and which represents the final phase of preparation for the summit.  

Ambassador Lute's introductory briefing detailed the 5 sessions that will be held during the two-day conference, which will begin with the signing of the Accession Protocol for NATO's new 29th ally, Montenegro.

- This is only the 7th time in NATO's 67-year history that it has taken such a step, which is to accept one or more new members, Ambassador Douglas Lute revealed.

Montenegro received an official invitation from NATO in December last year. This invitation signifies the announcement of the final phase of the agreement before accession, which lasted 6 months for Montenegro. During the final talks, representatives of the NATO negotiation team reminded the soon-to-be new member of its obligation to continue working on reforms in order to fully qualify as a candidate for membership.

- Tomorrow's step involves the signing of the document by all 28 member states, after which the document will be sent to the member states' capitals. In the case of the United States, the document goes to Washington, where it will undergo the ratification process based on the Constitution. In the case of the US, this means that this protocol, this document recommending Montenegro's accession, will be sent to the US Senate. Once that process is completed, Montenegro will formally become a member. So, this is the next logical procedural step in welcoming our 29th member, explained Ambassador Lute.

He added that this is a very significant signal for three candidate countries for NATO accession: Georgia, Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, that the door remains open and how important the work they need to do to become members is.

Stability of the Periphery

During the rest of the introductory briefing, journalists were informed about the importance of the two-day conference for discussions on the strength of NATO member alliances before the summit, especially regarding how NATO helps weaker and unstable countries on NATO's borders, whose instability can affect or is affecting NATO members.

- Illegal migration and terrorism, for example, come from these weak states and have a direct impact on the security of the NATO Alliance, Lute explained.

Therefore, during the two-day conference, Ministers will discuss how current efforts to build security capacities in partner countries such as Iraq, Jordan, and Tunisia can be improved. The situation in Libya, another weak state on the periphery of NATO borders, will also be discussed. 

Ambassador Lute reported that the second of the total of 5 sessions will discuss ongoing maritime operations in the Aegean Sea, where NATO is coordinating efforts between the European Union and two NATO members – Greece and Turkey. 

- Although we are having an impact on the eastern Aegean, we need to see how to sustain these efforts, as well as the possibilities for expansion into other parts of the Mediterranean, Ambassador Lute revealed.

He confirmed that NATO is ready to support efforts outside its borders, as well as on the periphery.

- The main efforts are currently led by others, for example, the Coalition against ISIL in Syria and Iraq, the European Union when it comes to maritime security in the Mediterranean. So, NATO is not at the forefront. However, NATO certainly has the capacity to support these efforts, Douglas Lute told reporters.

The rest of the briefing concerned the announcement of the topics for the remaining three sessions of the two-day conference of NATO Foreign Ministers. One of these is the relationship between NATO and Russia, where NATO continues to "adjust" its relationship with its largest military power neighbor. "Balance between strength and dialogue" will be the main topic of discussion on the relationship between NATO and Russia.

- NATO remains open to dialogue with Russia. For example, a month ago we held a NATO-Russia Council, with 28 member states and Russia at the same table. We discussed the situation in Ukraine, military activities including transparency and risk reduction, as well as the situation in Afghanistan, Lute said and continued:
- This is particularly important to reduce the risk of accidents and miscalculations in areas where we conduct operations in close proximity. You are aware of the recent incidents in the Baltic Sea that indicated risky behavior, and it is in the mutual interest of NATO and Russia to reduce such risks, Lute warned.

Journalists were informed about the topics of the two sessions that will be held on the second day of the conference, concerning cooperation with the European Union. Sweden and Finland will join the sessions, as well as High Representative Federica Mogherini, who will represent the EU.

In the last, 5th session, member states will discuss Afghanistan, for which the ambassador said that "NATO has unfinished business there" and that the mission will need to be extended beyond 2016.

- First, we must ensure the continuation of international funding for the Afghan Security Forces until 2020, Lute announced, expressing support for Afghanistan.

BiH in NATO

Journalists' questions related to NATO missions and activities in various countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was the subject of several questions.

To the question from local journalists whether BiH will remain isolated because it is divided on joining NATO – Bosniak members of the government want the country to join NATO as soon as possible, while Bosnian Serbs are postponing the decision, emphasizing that BiH will only join after Serbia does – US Ambassador Douglas Lute commented:

- The first steps towards membership in the Alliance in each individual case begin with a state decision to seek membership. Therefore, the first and most important step for Bosnian citizens is to decide whether NATO membership is good for them. So, it all starts with a sovereign choice. In the case of BiH, you have previously indicated that you want membership, and now you are working on a series of reforms that may one day lead you to receive an invitation for membership. But, how long that will take depends entirely on Bosnia. So, I really don't have a good answer to your question about how long the process will take and what the prospects are. It depends on you and your government. 

Commenting on the Balkan member states, the ambassador said that countries that have joined the Alliance now serve as a stabilizing influence in the region. 

- We believe that the promise of NATO membership, the promise of European Union membership, as well as the values that NATO cherishes, represent stabilizing influences in a region that has been unstable for some time, Lute said and added:

- 20 years ago, NATO intervened in Bosnia to stop the civil war in 1995. I agree that the region still faces challenges, but I think that one of the promises of future stability in the Balkans is related to the goal of meeting the criteria for NATO membership, and then joining the community of democracies with its place at the table, which is what NATO membership offers. As Bosnia approaches membership, it takes a step towards stability, the ambassador emphasized.

Cooperative Relationship with Serbia

Answering a journalist's question about NATO-Serbia relations, posed in the context of the relationship between Bosnian Serbs and Serbia, the ambassador explained:

- NATO has a cooperative relationship with Serbia. We haven't always had the brightest past, but over the past 15-20 years, we have managed to overcome part of that past and find a path to cooperation. So, we have political contacts with Serbia, and it is a cooperative relationship that we hope will continue in the future.

The 45 minutes that the press conference lasted were not enough to answer the numerous questions that journalists had for the US Ambassador to NATO, Douglas Lute, and the two-day conference of NATO Foreign Ministers, which began today, will certainly attract equal attention from world and local media.