Speech

Hello everyone, it’s a great pleasure to address ‘To Be Secure’ conference in Montenegro.

Montenegro is a highly valued Ally and essential to stability in the Western Balkans. You contribute to our collective defence through NATO’s KFOR mission in Kosovo; the NATO Mission Iraq; the Canadian-led battlegroup in Latvia; and the Italian-led battlegroup in Bulgaria.

We discussed with President Milatović these important issues when he visited with us just a few weeks back.

You intend to reach the 2% defence spending pledge this year, with more than a quarter of those funds going on major new equipment.

NATO is there for NATO. And NATO is there for Montenegro. Including with Allied aircraft from Greece and Italy, keeping your skies safe.

And NATO is there for the wider Western Balkans, which is of critical importance to us.

It has been a difficult year for the region and Kosovo in particular continues to experience heightened tensions. In May, 93 KFOR troops were injured, some seriously, during protests in northern Kosovo. This is totally unacceptable.

Then, last month there was an attack on a Kosovo police patrol, leaving one officer dead and two others wounded. A subsequent standoff in a monastery led to the death of several assailants.

This violence must stop.

In response to the increased tensions, NATO has deployed hundreds of additional troops to Kosovo. Only last week, the United Kingdom deployed an additional 600 troops, and we stand by to make further changes to KFOR’s posture as needed. KFOR continues to monitor the situation closely and we stand ready to act.

Neutrality and impartiality are central to the success of our mission. And our commander in Kosovo is in close contact with all of his main interlocutors, including the Kosovo security organisations and the Serbian Chief of Defence.

We will always take all necessary actions to fulfil our mission under UN Security Council resolution 1244: To maintain a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all communities in Kosovo.

NATO strongly supports the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. Outstanding issues can only be resolved through political agreement. This requires good faith, patience, perseverance and yes compromise. It’s time to de-escalate.

At the same time, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, separatist rhetoric and actions are a matter of serious concern. NATO strongly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and their Euro Atlantic reform efforts. As we support the whole Western Balkans European and Euro Atlantic integration.

We support the EU-led operation under the Berlin Plus Arrangement, and the renewal of the EUFOR mandate. 

These are difficult times. Our values – freedom, democracy, the rule of law – are under attack – within and beyond the Western Balkans. The most obvious demonstration of this is President Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

Russia’s brutal invasion has shattered decades of peace in Europe and caused NATO Allies and partners to fundamentally review and reinforce our security and defence policies.

NATO is not a party to this conflict. But we steadfastly support Ukraine and their right to self-defence, to freedom, and to choose their own path.

NATO Allies have provided tens of billions of dollars’ worth of financial, humanitarian and military aid, and we will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. Montenegro has delivered millions of euros of military aid to Ukraine, and also contributed substantially to NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine.

Allies have also taken in millions of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the fighting. Tens of thousands of refugees have entered Montenegro and around 10,000 have applied for some kind of national protection scheme. We thank you for that.

Last year, as a direct result of the war, Finland and Sweden made historic decisions to apply for NATO membership. Finland has now joined the NATO Alliance and Sweden will soon follow.

So NATO’s open door policy has served us well in the Western Balkans. With Montenegro and North Macedonia now Allies, most countries in the region are now members of the Alliance. Making the whole region more secure.

This is a true strategic awakening in Europe. I do not know when or how the war will end. But I do know this: our relationship with Moscow has fundamentally changed. Even after the fighting stops, the security landscape in Europe will never be the same.

President Putin wants a different kind of Europe. A Europe where he can control his people and dominate his neighbours. He sees freedom and democracy as a threat, and attempts to undermine them at every turn, including here in Montenegro. Through hybrid warfare, disinformation, cyber-attacks, anything to create the instability and chaos that serve his interests.

This is why we are placing so much emphasis not only on traditional forms of deterrence, such as troops, tanks and missiles. But also on countering disinformation and cyber-attacks, and on strengthening the resilience of our societies and of our critical infrastructure.

We are also deeply concerned by the growing ties between Russia and countries such as China, Iran and North Korea. As authoritarian regimes increase their cooperation, so too must those who believe in freedom and democracy. To stand together to promote peace, to protect our shared security, and defend our democratic values and the global rules and norms.

This is about the sort of world we want to live in. The sort of world we want our children and grandchildren to grow up in. A world based on freedom, on democracy and the rule of law, or one dictated by violence, oppression and corruption. As a Romanian, I’ve seen the experience of both sides. In Montenegro, you have seen that too. I know which world I choose. I know which world we would choose.

This is why, since Russia’s war against Ukraine began in 2014 with the illegal annexation of Crimea, we have implemented the largest reinforcement of our collective defence in a generation. Increasing the readiness of our forces, deploying combat-ready troops to the east of the Alliance for the first time, and investing more in our defence. Doing what was needed to protect our values, our people and every inch of NATO territory.

So when President Putin launched his full-fledged invasion of Ukraine last year, we were ready. Within hours, we activated all our defence plans; put 40,000 troops under NATO command, backed by significant air and maritime power; and we strengthened our forward defences from the Baltic to the Black Sea.

We have now updated those defence plans, with 300,000 troops on higher readiness, backed by substantial air and naval power. More pre-positioned equipment, more forward-deployed capabilities, including air defences and strengthened command and control. So we can be even more agile in times of crisis.

We are also increasing our stockpiles of munitions and equipment, and sending a strong demand message to industry so they can produce what we need. Both to support Ukraine in the long-term, and to ensure our own continued security.

This has truly been a decisive decade for our deterrence and defence.

Of course, all of this must be paid for. So it is good news that all Allies are investing more in defence. 2023 marks the ninth consecutive year of defence investment increase across European Allies and Canada. By the end of this year, these nations together will have invested over $450 billion extra.

Eleven Allies now reach or exceed the 2% target, a number we expect that will rise substantially next year. And at the Vilnius Summit, Allies went further, committing to invest at least 2% of GDP every year in defence. In a more dangerous world, strengthening our security is not simply desirable. It is imperative. 

Allies can rely on NATO to ensure the security of our nations. One billion people safe on NATO soil, stronger than never and I know that we have counted on Montenegro for fulfilling our task.

And in a few months’ time, in July of next year, we are expecting anniversary summit in Washington DC. The most successful Alliance in history will celebrate its 75th anniversary and it’s just the beginning of a long successful journey.

I wish you luck and we keep Montenegro in our hearts and in our minds.