Brussels, 3 April 2024 (MIA) - Addressing Wednesday's NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels, Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani said it was time for new dynamics in the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of the Western Balkan countries, noting that speeding up these processes is key to countering Russian intentions and consolidating overall stability.  

"Our region is increasingly becoming a field for geopolitical competition, and the Western Balkans is in the line of fire in the clash of civilizations between the West and the East. Russia's military aggression against Ukraine has shown that the security architecture in Europe is broken, and as I have pointed out on other occasions, Ukraine is only the first stop of Russian imperialist ambitions. After Ukraine, Russian aggression is expected to continue and Western Balkan countries will be the next stop," said Osmani.  

He underscored that Wednesday's ministerial is significant because all NATO allies are celebrating its landmark 75th anniversary together at the headquarters in Brussels. 

"This landmark anniversary coincides with Sweden joining our transatlantic family. This is a proof that NATO's open door policy is not only alive, but it is stronger and has a strong focus on all allied countries," Osmani pointed out. 

The ministerial discussed ways and mechanisms to further strengthen Ukraine support and deepen cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners, as well as strengthening deterrence and defence of the NATO Alliance. In that context, Osmani stressed that North Macedonia has reached the 2 percent of GDP target on defense spending. 

Wednesday's ministerial also looked into decisions in the run-up to the July NATO Summit in Washington. 

Photo: MFA