The jurnal of Turkish Weekly

Интервју који је објавио Turkish Weekly, а тиче се утицаја НАТО-а и његовог значаја за Србију и њену демократизацију. У интервјуу можете прочитати мишљења Јелене Милић, Александра Јовичића и проф. др Дејана С. Милетић-а. Уживајте!

Closer co-operation with NATO and the implementation of the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) will benefit Serbia's defence and security system reforms, as well as the country's democratic principles and institutions -- thereby improving life for ordinary citizens."NATO is a guarantee for peace and safety, which is a guarantee for basic human rights. Under the NATO umbrella, this guarantee is the same for all, as safety is guaranteed to all citizens of NATO members states," Dejan Miletic, a professor at the Belgrade Department of Lincoln University and president of the NGO Centre for Globalisation Studies, told SETimes.Jelena Milic, the director the Centre for Euro-Atlantic Studies in Belgrade, said the relationship with NATO is a tool for improving democracy, and is an important factor in raising the standards of the political system and citizens' lives."The position of citizens is conditioned by the relations between stable democracies with stable political systems and clear separation of powers and independent institutions, which is a case with the majority of NATO members," Milic, told SETimes."When it comes to post-conflict societies and authoritarian countries, the reform of the security system is a pre-condition for democratisation. That is achieved by meeting the conditions for entrance in NATO. In Serbia's case, this can be worked on through IPAP, as it says that NATO will help strengthen democratic control of the armed forces and intelligence services," she said.She added that according to the IPAP, Serbia's government has to assume the management of a campaign that informs citizens about the nature and importance of co-operation with NATO."One of IPAP's objectives is the implementation of norms, principles and standards that are part of the basic OSCE documents, which Serbia is heading this year. In that context, one of constant processes will be achieving of the high standards in democracy, rule of law and human rights and media freedom respect," the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told SETimes in a written statement.Miletic said establishing the IPAP and growing closer to NATO are additional links between Serbia and the EU."If Serbia really implements IPAP, it will enter the EU and NATO as 'a guardian' of Euro-Atlantic values. There is no doubt that these values directly influence citizens and show how much co-operation with NATO is good for them," Miletic told SETimes.According to the ministry, co-operation between Serbia and NATO is not only beneficial to the political and military sectors, it also covers other segments that are important to citizens in a broader sense."It is important to mention the participation of our scientists and institutions in joint projects through the NATO programme Science for Peace and Security," the ministry said.As Southeast Europe is threatened by various natural disasters, one of the states' priorities is the improvement of first-response and recovery services. Co-operation with the Euro-Atlantic Co-ordination Centre for Response on Disasters is the NATO mechanism for civilian emergency situations that would be available to the country under the IPAP."IPAP will help Serbia to achieve sustainable reform and strengthening of its security system. Through joint trainings of Serbian armed forces members and partners, and by achieving interoperability, we will increase our readiness for emergencies and for more efficient participation in peacekeeping operations," the ministry told SETimes.But Milic and Miletic, as well as Serbian Progressive Party MP Aleksandar Jovicic, warn that Serbia urgently needs to inform its citizens about the benefits of joining NATO."It is necessary to send clear message to the public that NATO co-operation will benefit all, and will be transparent enough to see the benefits," Jovicic said."A pro-NATO campaign has never happened in Serbia," Milic said. "On the contrary, there were two very strong anti-NATO campaigns when negotiations on Kosovo's status started in 2007, and later when the process of normalisation of relations with Kosovo was ongoing. The response of the previous so called pro-EU governments to this was unacceptably ambivalent."Jovicic added that although the previous government started co-operation with the Alliance through the Partnership for Peace Programme, the current government will work on making co-operation even better.Miletic said educating citizens about the benefits of NATO is the joint responsibility of the governmental and non-governmental sectors, especially now that Russia is creating pressure in Ukraine."If Ukraine was a NATO member, this would have never happened," he said."NGOs that are voicing support for the EU but do not have a position on NATO should have a clearer view of how Russia threatens our EU integration, and that closer co-operation with NATO is a framework for stopping that," Milic said.

http://www.turkishweekly.net/2015/03/18/news/closer-ties-with-nato-improve-democracy-in-serbia/