Deputy Minister of Defense Elfet Ismaili participated in the work of the Regional Security Forum George K. Marshal on the topic: “NATO and the Security Cooperation in the Western Balkans: Building Stability Through Cooperation”, which is held for several days in Ohrid. This event takes place under the auspices of the European Center for Security Studies and several panel discussions are held with a large number of participants from the fields of defense and security from our country, Western Balkan countries and from NATO member countries.
In her address, Deputy Minister Ismaili, expressing her gratitude to the organizers, and underlining the honor and pleasure of being part of the panel, and congratulating the panelists for the discussions, emphasized the importance of the cooperation among the WB countries, as the main factor of democracy and prosperity in the region.
On this occasion, she pointed to the numerous challenges and threats to security, adding that there is no country that is exempt from them, with special emphasis on the external influences of some countries, which with their policies and negative approach, pose a risk to the security of the entire region. In this context, Deputy Minister Ismaili referred to finding the right political tools and mechanisms that our region should use to face the challenges and threats.
Deputy Minister Ismaili defined the Euro-Atlantic orientation, as well as the commitment to comply with the defined Euro-Atlantic values, based on the principles of democracy, individual freedom and the rule of law, as a common foundation and as the final goal of the WB countries, underlining at the same time that these countries, with sincere political leadership, must implement the most necessary political reforms, starting from the expanded and successful economic, commercial and financial cooperation.
Among other things, the Deputy Minister concluded that the region and the world need NATO and the EU in a joint package and that priority should be given to democratic stability and the strengthening of the Alliance and the EU, as this is essential for guaranteeing peace and security in Europe, and the world. She closed by underlining that through cooperation to jointly face the strategic challenges of the countries and our region, the region will be more stable, with a view to the regional initiatives that are of vital importance for building resilience to the challenges in the future, which our countries and the entire region will have to face.
