NATO HQ, Brussels 7 June 2002

The Situation in the Balkans Address by the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Macedonia, Prof. Dr. Vlado Popovski at the EAPC Defense Ministerial Session Dear Secretary General. Dear Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honored to be here with You and I thank You for this opportunity to speak about the situation in the Balkans, and especially about the improvement of the security situation in the Republic of Macedonia. As You well know, the security challenges in the Balkans are rapidly changing their nature and goals, reinforcing at the same time their own potentials. On the one hand, the probability for conducting an armed aggression over any country in this region by any other country from the same region has been reduced to a minimum. On the other hand, however, the asymmetrical threats still have a strong potential. Unfortunately, the recognizable features of the Balkans are related to crime, ethnic and religious extremism, terrorism, proliferation and presence of huge amounts of small and light weapons, instead of rapid democratic development and substantial direct foreign investments. The democratic Governments of the Balkan countries, in cooperation with and by support of the international community, are making efforts to enhance the national capabilities and regional mechanisms in response of the realistic threats. The capacities of the regional mechanisms for cooperation can be characterized as being limited. The presence of NATO forces in the region contributes to the relaxation of the threat sources; however, these sources still have a strong potential. SFOR and KFOR play the role of deterring open armed conflicts, but they have limited military and police capacities for dealing with asymmetrical threats (terrorism, crime, smuggling, weapon proliferation etc.). The International Community in both Bosnia and Kosovo have so far failed to establish effective police and judicial mechanisms for dealing with linked threats of ethnic and religious extremism, political extremism and organized crime. We observe from our position in the Balkans that there is inadequate respect or even tolerance for the rule of law from some of our neighbors, in this context, I would like to emphasize the fact that the current events of denouncing the border between the Republic of Macedonia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, on its part to Kosovo, confirm our assessment that the threats to the peace and security in our country are external. The reactions of the International Community contribute to the reduction of these threats, and therefore, UNMIK should continue undertaking everything in their power to ensure compliance with the international borders. Furthermore, the International Community should make clear to Kosovo Albanians the need for refraining and respect of the rule of law. Dear Secretary General, I would like to inform this esteemed forum that the Government of the Republic of Macedonia is committed to the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement. By adopting and enforcing the Amnesty Law, all persons who have committed deeds related to the 2001 conflict, but that are not under the authority of the Hague Tribunal, have been amnestied. Allow me also to point out that there is reintegration of life underway in the crisis areas, returning of refugees and displaced persons, as well as restoration of homes and infrastructure. A package of 15 laws arising from the Ohrid Agreement, including the election laws, is to be adopted. At the same time, we have made a considerable progress in enlarging minority participation in the police and Armed Forces with an appropriate representation from the total population in the country. As a Minister of Defense, I would like to inform You on the steps we have made towards reinforcing the combat readiness of the armed forces -the ARM. These include: Introduction of a new force structure based on the brigade model; Intensification of training with support from NATO member countries' instructors; Increase of the professional component up to 60% of the total composition of the Armed Forces; Inclusion of 200 officers and non-commissioned officers from the national minorities in 2002, or an increase of their participation to 12%, with the aim of reaching 23% in 2003; Implementation of the Partnership Goals package for 2002; Full operational preparedness for deployment of declared forces for SEEBRIG. I would like to underscore the positive contribution of the Amber Fox NATO force to the stabilization of the security situation in the Republic of Macedonia, and especially the positive experience from the exchange of liaison officers. Having this in mind, we are convinced that the success would significantly improve if the mutual exchange of liaison officers were expanded to all NATO commands in the region. Finally, the citizens in the Balkans have a need for comprehensive and coherent strategy of the EU and NATO for stabilization and rapid integration of the region to the Euro-Atlantic structures. Drawing on past experiences, I believe that the benefit for the western countries shall be better under the prerequisite that the countries in the region achieve full integration. Thank You.