Minister of Defense of Austria, Mario Kunasek, said in the conversation for “Partner”, magazine of the Ministry of Defense of Montenegro, that the Austrian Ministry of Defense would still focus its attention on Western Balkans, with possible reinforcement of the engagement in missions and operations that the EU is conducting in Africa in order to reduce the pressures on illegal migrations in Europe.
He pointed out that, in case his state or other states refrained from their participation in international missions, development trends in the insecure regions could have bad consequences for Europe.
“We must export security”, says the Minister whose state is taking active part in EUFOR mission Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as in the KFOR mission in Kosovo and this actively contributes to preserving peace and stability in the region.
When it comes to the relations with Montenegro regarding defense matters, Kunasek points out the importance of intensifying bilateral cooperation, especially in the domain of training for mountain warfare.
“As Minister of Defense, I strive to deepen bilateral contacts and defense cooperation with Montenegro, in the light of Joint Statement from Graz. I believe it is very important that we intensify our bilateral cooperation in the domain of mountain warfare training and talk about the future initiatives related to safe munition and armament storage”, said the Minister.
Talking about the perspective of Montenegro in the EU, in the context of its NATO membership, Kunasek says it’s very good. He agrees with the EU attitude that Montenegro remains constructively committed to bilateral relations with other candidates and neighboring EU Member States and that it is a active participant in the regional cooperation.
“Montenegro has got the capabilities and political will for the preparation of the implementation of the acquis communautaire of the EU”, says Kunasek.
Joint statement, signed in Graz in September of 2018, is formally recognized by Ministers of Defense of Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. It expresses committed political will to intensify cooperation with WB, with the aim of increasing EU perspective of these states.
