Transatlantic cooperation – united for a common future

How to strengthen the transatlantic bond through NATO cooperative activities; how should Europe respond to new transatlantic agenda and what are the prospects, opportunities and challenges of the EU diplomacy? Those were some of the questions discussed at the opening of the third day of the XIV Summer School for Young Diplomats “Gavro Vuković”.

Michael Rühle, Head of the Hybrid Challenges and Energy Security Section in NATO’s Emerging Security Challenges Division set the stage for discussion by reminding participants that Foundations of NATO were officially laid down on 4 April 1949 with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty, more popularly known as the Washington Treaty. At the time, it was described as the “community of destiny” between the two continents which will keep enlarging in the years to come. Moreover, it was a clear reflection of the U.S. decision to break with its traditional isolationism and its intention to create partnerships throughout European continent.

However, the political, military and economic landscape has significantly changed over the years which has created a positive impact on further strengthening of cooperation, resilience, technological innovation, and versatile foreign policy solutions among NATO members, whilst abiding to the moral and ethical principles they all share. Members of Alliance share a unique sense of solidarity and a unique awareness that we are united not only for a common past but also for a common future, emphasized Mr. Rühle.

Is there a new transatlantic agenda or is the tone just different, was the first question that Steven Erlanger, Chief Diplomatic Correspondent of New York Times for Europe posed to participants. Comparing the opposite approaches of the current and previous U.S. presidents in understanding a role of the U.S. in the transatlantic cooperation, Mr. Erlanger stressed that the U.S. now had a new approach that should be welcomed. He noted that President Joseph Biden seems to understand that it is in the U.S. best national interest to have allies in Europe and to stand united against ever-more diverse security threats

On the other side, according to Mr. Erlanger, the narrative of European leaders has changed considerably during the previous two U.S. administrations, making the EU’s self-sufficiency, enhancement of defence system, and resilience building an imperative. Moreover, given the political change in some of the EU member countries requires a serious redefinition of political equilibrium. Finally, being a great believer in EU’s defence system and future cooperation with NATO, Erlanger left the participants to ponder on a question if there is enough trust for a unified European agenda in terms of both, its development and its relations with the U.S.?

Making the EU’s common foreign policy more consistent and effective, thus strengthening the EU’s influence in the world, is the aim of European External Action Service (EEAS), reminded Stefano Sannino, Secretary General of European External Action Service. He noted that pandemic has been instrumental in accentuating the added value and importance of the EEAS mandate and its network of delegations, adding, that challenges of the 21st century require an effective coordination of all EU tools and continuous diplomacy building.

Marking the EEAS’s 10^th anniversary was a good opportunity to recall on prospects, challenges and opportunities for strengthening coherence, effectiveness and consistency of the EU and its foreign policy on global level, and to set the stage for the interactive panel discussion that followed.

The European path is based on values and vision

European integration is an important foreign policy priority for Western Balkans countries. The perspective for EU membership was affirmed at the Thessaloniki EU-WB Summit 2003 and kept as an objective and a goal, since then, reminded Jelena Burzan, Director General for European Union at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro.

A lot has happened since then, the European Union has been facing a lot of challenges including global financial crises, migrations, Brexit and lately the COVID 19 health crises, the emergence of new but common threats that we all must face together. Building upon the message of EEAS’s Secretary General, Ms. Burzan emphasized that the EU has once again proved to be a true partner of this region granting so far the highest support and assistance.

In circumstances as such, we cannot say that the enlargement has been forgotten. Far from it. Given the developments in the region including intensified regional cooperation and advancement in negation process with the EU, we can conclude that enlargement, as one of the most successful EU policies, is gaining a new momentum.

In the light of the above mentioned, the panellists focused on the European perspective of the Western Balkans and importance of the regional cooperation.

Montenegro’s European path, as a one of the key strategic goals of our foreign policy, is primarily a path of harmonisation with the European value system and its added value lies in its transformative power to improve our society, pointed out Zorka Kordić, Montenegro’s Chief Negotiator with European Union, adding that the European path is an unquestionable direction of Montenegro’s foreign policy additionally based on the support of as many as 75% of citizens.

Having in mind that the EU accession is important in term wider-geopolitical agenda H.E. Gregor Presker, Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to Montenegro, reminded the participants that Slovenia support the enlargement process. He noted that Slovenia’s second presidency takes part in difficult times of pandemic, which calls for unity and resilience building where Slovenia will strive to contribute to the EU’s recovery, strengthening of resilience and the rule of law, enhancing security and stability in the European neighbourhood, while also taking time to reflect on the future of Europe.

H.E. Jørn Eugen Gjelstad, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Montenegro, emphasized the importance of consolidated regional cooperation built on a mutual trust. He pointed out how indispensable cross-border cooperation and the building of trusting relationships are for the prosperity and sustainability of the region. Moreover, the aforementioned remains the key prerequisite for successful achievement of obligations entailed by the EU integration agenda.

Regional co-operation is extremely important for the European path of the Western Balkans, agreed H.E. Oana Cristina Popa, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro, additionally expressing satisfaction that the EU has been strongly present in the Balkans in recent years as a support and as a partner. The EU played a particularly important role in the Balkans during the COVID-19 crisis, which is reflected in both financial and logistical assistance. The EU will continue to support the region through various projects including those related to environmental protection and sustainable development.

Even though the European Union was also severely affected by the pandemic and the consequent crisis in many areas, it did not spare resources in assisting the Western Balkans, according to Tonino Picula, European Parliament’s Rapporteur for Montenegro. He used this opportunity to remind that Montenegro has achieved significant results over the years on its European path, adding the importance of productive continuation of integration process.

NATO path – stability and security of Euro-Atlantic area

By recalling some of the latest developments at the international scene Vladimir Vučinić, Director General for NATO and Security Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro made an introduction for discussion with two prominent speakers that put additional light on stability and security of Europe and Euro-Atlantic area.

Professor Sharyl Cross, Director at Kosmetsky Centera at St. Edwards University and Global Policy Fellow at the Kennan Institute Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington DC accentuated the importance of the future direction of transatlantic cooperation and development of future relations of the world’s major economic and military powers. She stressed that, given the complexity of the relationship of the world’s great powers, diplomacy will play an increasing role in the time to come and the challenges it brings, whether those are the distribution of power, control of strategic weapons and combating nuclear proliferation, climate change, or economy.

Speaking about the constantly changing geopolitical environment, the future influence of the NATO on the processes in the Western Balkans and in Europe, the relations between military and economic powers and their possible cooperation in the Balkans, Professor Edward P. Joseph, Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor at the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Affairs, pointed out that the Balkans is a kind of a test case for relations between Russia, China, the United States and the EU.  The NATO and the EU need to make their cooperation on the Western Balkans much more resolute and stronger, voiced Professor Joseph.

At the Crossroad

The Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans are two regions which represent a mix of different ethnicities and political agendas and progressively finding themselves at the crossroads between the interests of the NATO and the EU on one hand, and emerging third parties on the other. The discussion with prominent theorist and practitioners of international relations hosted by Anđelka Rogač, Director of Directorate for North and South America at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, was an opportunity for a closer look at the regional issues.

Professor Kenneth Morrison from De Montfort University in Leicester put additional light on how regional relations and cooperation among countries in the Western Balkans have been stabilized over the course of the past two decades. He noted many challenges that persist yet and pointed out the importance that the EU must restore the enlargement enthusiasm so as to limit the increasing influence of third parties and solidify its position in the region.

Current foreign policy and security challenges in the region should be analysed as a part of a much broader historical context pointed out Professor Erik Goldstein from the Boston University’s School for Global Studies, thereby reminding that the area of Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans has always had an “almost magnetic attraction” for the great powers. He noted that a strategic position in important transport routes along with its maritime dimension has made the region the focus of so much international engagement. He concluded that these counties are becoming increasingly linked to the “twin pillars of the EU and the NATO”, which are perceived as a source of stability and security.

Challenging times require diplomatic excellence, emphasised Ambassador Alev Kilic, Director of the Center for Eurasian Studies and Turkish Ambassador in former Yugoslavia. He reminded that the end of the 20th century enabled creation of a new alignment in geopolitics, making reference to the collapse of the Soviet Union which signalled the end of the bipolar world and transition to multi-vector international order. He noted, the rise of China has profoundly influenced power balance in politico-economic and military spheres and the fast evolving concept of Eurasia. However, many interesting processes are still waiting for young diplomats in which they will have the chance to participate and ultimately contribute to the writing of history, he emphasized.

Building on the historic perspective given by other panellist Professor Petros Vamvakas from the Emmanuel College in Boston, stated that the region is once again open for competition and a lot of it has to do with its development trajectory of the past 30 years. He noted that international developments – such as war in Crimea, Greece’s debt-crisis, Brexit and others – have influenced the region and possibly have made it more vulnerable to past influences than ever before.

In the past 30 years, many processes have taken place in the Western Balkans and although many processes have been completed and we are witnessing regional stabilisation and various forms of regional cooperation, the question on the future of the countries of the Western Balkans and the challenges they face and will face, remains.

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XIV Summer School for Young Diplomats “Gavro Vuković”,  organized by the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, was held from 5 to 9 July, 2021, in online format.  It gathered 70 young diplomats from all over the world that had an opportunity to discuss issues of contemporary diplomacy with 50 prominent speakers through 20 interactive sessions over five working days. It put specific emphasis on the role and importance of diplomacy to reinforce trust and cooperation for shaping secure and prosperous future. Agenda

For this edition of the Summer School we owe particular gratitude to our long-standing partners from UNDP Montenegro who have been with us every step of the way, since 2008.  This year, we are particularly thankful to our colleagues from the NATO Public Diplomacy Division who have recognised the programme of Summer School as conducive to the Euro-Atlantic agenda for a more secure world. We are thankful to our partners from the Municipality of Berane for safekeeping of heritage of Duke Gavro Vuković.