Top military leaders pledge cooperation for Balkan stability

09/07/2008

Defence chiefs of nine Balkan countries agreed to boost military co-operation.

By Ayhan Simsek for Southeast European Times -- 09/07/08

"I believe our commonalities are more than our differences," Turkish Chief of General Staff Yasar Buyukanıt said. [Getty Images]

Military leaders of Balkan countries agreed on Monday (July 7th) to explore opportunities for closer co-operation in joint military training and exercises.

The agreement came at the end of the Second Annual Conference of the Balkan Countries' Chiefs of Defence, which brought together the top military officials of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia as well as host country Turkey.

"We all share a common history and culture. I believe our commonalities are more than our differences. We should work for our common ideal," Turkish Chief of General Staff Yasar Buyukanit told the conferees.

Pointing out to security risks, conflicts and rivalry in the region that threaten regional and global security, Buyukanit said the co-operation among the military leaders was the most recent but also the most significant effort to strengthen security and stability in the region.

The first conference of Balkan chiefs of defence took place in Greece last year, and the conference soon became an effective co-operation mechanism among the region's countries, the majority of which are NATO members.

Buyukanit said integration of regional states into NATO and EU structures has been a major source of stability in the region. "We all welcome Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia becoming partners in NATO's Partnership for Peace and Croatia and Albania getting [NATO] membership invitations," he said.

"As soldiers, we can't solve problems among our countries," he told the conference. "But through co-operation, we can build a positive atmosphere [and] open a new window of opportunity for politicians to solve the problems," he said.

The head of NATO's Military Committee, Italian Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, was among the conference's guests. "The Balkans are no longer a major threat to security. On the contrary, the region has started to contribute to global security," he said to the conference. "Only ten years ago, such a meeting would be nothing but a dream," he also said.

General Henri Bentegeat, the chairman of the EU Military Committee, discussed the EU's perspective on the region and said all the countries in the region are seen as members of the EU family. "There is a need to further develop dialogue and mutual understanding among us," he said.

The Balkan states' military leaders agreed after the two-day meeting to further enhance their cooperation in addressing security challenges.

They highlighted the importance of the work of a co-ordination group and two working sub-groups, which will provide the required mechanisms for the continuation of the conference. Future steps in co-operation will be joint military training, education and exercises among their forces.

The 2009 meeting of the Conference of the Balkan Countries' Chiefs of Defence will take place in Serbia.