Identifier
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08PODGORICA281
2008-11-10 17:24:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Podgorica
Cable title:  

TEXT OF MONTENEGRIN PM DJUKANOVIC'S LETTER TO NATO SECGEN

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TAGS: PREL MARR MW
SUBJECT: TEXT OF MONTENEGRIN PM DJUKANOVIC'S LETTER TO NATO SECGEN

REF: PODGORICA 278

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PODGORICA 000281

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FOR EUR/SCE AND EUR/RPM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL MARR MW
SUBJECT: TEXT OF MONTENEGRIN PM DJUKANOVIC'S LETTER TO NATO SECGEN

REF: PODGORICA 278

PODGORICA 00000281 001.2 OF 003



1. Post received an official copy of the letter from H.E. Milo
Djukanovic, Prime Minister of Montenegro, which was delivered to
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on November 5 in
Brussels. Original will be hand delivered to EUR/SCE.



Begin Text



Podgorica, 4 November 2008



Jaap de Hoop Scheffer

Secretary General

NATO Belgium

Brussels



Dear Secretary General,



I wish to assure you that my government is fully committed to
its course toward NATO, a policy that was endorsed by the
Montenegrin Parliament on 3 October 2008 in its resolution on
accelerating the process of European and Euro-Atlantic
integration. I believe that our closer association with the
Alliance, and eventual membership in it, will not only benefit
Montenegro, but will also promote NATO's strategic goal of
bringing stability to southeast Europe.



As you know, Montenegro began an Intensified Dialogue with NATO
on Membership Issues after the NATO Summit in Bucharest in
April. This dialogue has been extremely valuable to us, and we
can now envision that our Ministry of Defense and the NATO
International Staff will have an agreed view on what Montenegro
might undertake within the Membership Action Plan.



For this reason, I am writing to formally submit our application
to join NATO's Membership Action Plan as soon as NATO has had an
opportunity to review the results of the Intensified Dialogue
but not later than the April 2009 NATO Summit.



Let me say at the outset that the Government of Montenegro
recognizes that the Membership Action Plan will be a multi-year
commitment. We have learned a great deal from our neighbors in
the Adriatic Charter: Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia. We
understand the challenges and the commitment of time and
resources required in the action plan. But we also understand
that for a small democracy in the Balkans the most important
thing is to get started.



As a result of the Intensified Dialogue and bilateral
discussions with NATO allies, we have identified our priorities
for the initial years in the MAP. Montenegro will continue to
implement the goals of IPAP. We are developing plans to realize

the goals of our partnership with NATO, among them permanent
communication with the Allies. At the same time, we plan to
continue to take part in PfP exercises and to complete the
preparations of units capable of deploying alongside NATO forces
in international peacekeeping. We will continue to invest in
equipment interoperable with NATO equipment, to destroy excess
weapons, to fulfill the agreement between Montenegro and NATO on
the Security of Information, and to increase public support for
membership in the Alliance.



(1) Military Organization and
Modernization: Montenegro's Ministry of Defense was formed upon
our independence in 2006, almost two years ago. Since then, with
the help of NATO partners, we have made steady progress in
defining the organization, equipment and overall reform of the
armed forces. The fact that the Montenegrin military is not
significantly burdened by an antiquated Yugoslav or Warsaw Pact

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military structure offers us a great opportunity to adopt the
best practices of the NATO allies from the beginning.



(2) Strategic Concept: The strategic
concept of the Army of Montenegro is to be included in the
collective security system of NATO. Montenegro's goal is to
build an integrated and functional security system that enables
prevention, management and resolution of potential crisis,
conflicts and disputes regardless of their character and level,
in accordance with international standards and principles. We
have been very impressed by the successes of the Baltic states,
Slovakia, Slovenia as well as Albania, Croatia and Macedonia in
building small, agile forces which meet NATO standards and
fulfill roles needed by the Alliance. We hope to draw on their
experiences to ensure that our military is the right size and
has the right capabilities to contribute to NATO's missions.



(3) Niche Capabilities: We have identified
several niche capabilities, including, inter alia, underwater
demining, medical personnel, and light infantry. On 8 October
2008 the Parliament passed the Law on Participation of the
Members of the Army of Montenegro in Peace Missions and other
Activities abroad. By the end of this year we expect to have
prepared a medical team for participation in peace missions, in
accordance with the partnership goals. Next year, we expect to
have a unit ready to deploy to NATO missions. We are examining
the capacity of our forces to determine what support we might
provide for stabilization efforts in frozen conflict regions.



(4) Regional Cooperation: We are keenly
aware of the need for even greater defense and political
cooperation throughout the Western Balkans. Montenegro is proud
to have good relations with all states in the region, not to
have unresolved issues with neighboring states, to stand as a
constructive partner and a source of stability in the region,
and to be prepared to participate in all efforts to strengthen
regional cooperation and coordination. In the two years since
independence, we have joined all regional initiatives and
organizations. We remain fully committed to regional cooperation
and the concept of regional ownership, as an important
contribution to stability and to Euro Atlantic integration.
Having been invited to join the Adriatic Charter we are prepared
to actively participate in initiatives to build regional defense
and security cooperation. We hope that our future membership in
SEDM will allow Montenegro to play an even more important role
in maintaining peace, stability, and prosperity in our region.



(5) NATO Information: Since independence in
2006, we believe that strong public support has emerged for
integration with European institutions, and that support for
NATO will increase as Montenegrin citizens better understand the
Alliance and its benefits. The Government of Montenegro has put
in place a wide-ranging communications strategy, working with
NATO Allies to develop a campaign to build broad public support.
We are hopeful that a NATO office will open in Podgorica by the
end of 2008, to enable us to strengthen practical cooperation
with the Alliance. My Government is prepared to contribute
substantial material and technical support to the establishment
of this Office.



(6) Norms, Capacity and Political Values:
We realize that technical capabilities and defense reforms alone
are insufficient for NATO membership. In the course of the
Membership Action Plan, we expect to continue working to bring
this country into accord with the European standards to which
the Government of Montenegro aspires. This dialogue is welcome,
and we are ready to invest the effort and resources needed to
become a valued NATO partner and ally. Through our foreign and
defense policies, we have demonstrated our willingness to be a
trustworthy partner to the Euro Atlantic community in
maintaining regional stability. We have also supported NATO
operations by donating surplus arms to the Government of
Afghanistan. We will continue to support the goals and values of
NATO, by demonstrating that we understand our responsibilities
as Europeans and as future members of NATO. In the same way, we
hope to progress in integrating into the European Union,
building upon the Stabilization and Association Agreement signed
last year. We have begun implementation of the Interim
Agreement, and we are preparing to apply for membership in the
EU in the near future. In this parallel process, Montenegro is
conducting comprehensive reforms in strengthening the rule of

PODGORICA 00000281 003.2 OF 003


law, democratic institutions, and creating conditions for a
functioning market economy.



Mr. Secretary General, I want to thank you for your support over
the years for peace in the Balkans and for the continuing
integration of democracies in Southeast Europe into European
institutions. You understand as well as anyone how far
Montenegro and our neighbors have come since the beginning of
the 1990's. Now that Slovenia has successfully served as EU
Presidency and our friends in Albania and Croatia have reached
the threshold of NATO membership, it is time for the next
generation of European democracies, including Montenegro, to
follow the same path.



I look forward to working closely with you in coming months on
our entry into the Membership Action Plan. I would like to take
this opportunity to invite you and the NATO Permanent
Representatives to Podgorica before the April Summit to have a
first-hand look at our preparations for MAP.



Sincerely yours,



Milo Pukanovic



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