Dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo must not only continue, but also the decisions taken must be implemented
08 December 2011 News
This was said by Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister at an annual meeting in Brussels of foreign ministers of NATO countries.
A general agreement in principle on the territorial integrity of Kosovo was among the highlights in the speech by Nickolay Mladenov.
He described the stated desire of Serbia to move towards an individual Partnership Action Plan as a positive step in Serbia’s relations with NATO.
He emphasized again the need for the leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina to agree on conditions for obtaining an Action Plan for NATO membership.
Among other highlights were partnerships with the countries of the Middle East and North Africa in the context of the “Arab Spring” and the many areas of co-operation between NATO and Russia.
In response to a call by the Secretary General of NATO for specific action to help countries make the transition from the “Arab Spring”, Nickolay Mladenov said that meetings would be held as part of the process of Sofia Platform events, to discuss reform of the security sector so that the countries of the Middle East and North Africa can benefit from the experience of Central and Eastern Europe.
“Civilian control of the armed forces and the capacity of society to monitor reforms in the defence sector are two important aspects of the topic of security,” Minister Mladenov said.
In the context of the NATO-Russia Council, Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister, and many of his colleagues from the Alliance, deplored the lack of progress in the framework of co-operation in the establishment of NATO missile defence.
"Whatever differences exist between NATO and Russia, however, it is important to continue the dialogue and the fact that we are debating around this table is positive," Minister Mladenov said.
He noted there are many areas of partnership between NATO and Russia, dwelling on the proposals to build a centre for the exchange of information between the two missile defence, and a joint exercise in 2012
The foreign ministers of NATO member states discussed the preparation of the summit in Chicago in May 2012, and NATO operations.