Dr Windsor is a deputy head and one of the founders of the Department for research in NDC and is involved in access to cooperative security, crisis management as well as naval strategy. He emphasized that Montenegrin Navy is working hard to accept NATO standards and providing naval security to Montenegro.
How do you see a Montenegrin soldier, is he ready to stand side by side with a NATO colleague?
WINDSOR: The biggest resource of a country’s army are its people. I happen to know that when we talk about Montenegrin soldiers, whether on NATO or EU ships, or hired in headquarters of the Alliance or in NATO multinational operations, they are highly respected. So, Montenegro should be very proud on what its men and women in uniforms have achieved so far in servicegiven to their country.
Do you think that Montenegrin Navy is ready to be the part of the Alliance?
WINDSOR: I know that you navy worked hard until the 2013 within Strategic overview of defense and also in recent years within the Long-term plan of development and implementation of NATO standardsin situations related to securing the Adriatic sea for legal trade. This is good news for Europe, good news for the region and exceptionally good news for Montenegro when we consider how much trade happens in these waters and what are the touristic potentials of the area.
Can we expect that Montenegro will become a full time member of the Alliance by the summer of next year?
WINDSOR: Basically it’s a political decision of the 28 member countries of NATO because all decisions in the Alliance are unanimously made. I have to say that announcement of the negotiations for joining from December last year are very encouraging in terms of the joining the Alliance soon.
Do you think that Europe nowadays is a safe place to live and how do you see Balkans in terms of security?
WINDSOR: Destabilizations, effects of the migrant crisis are obviously a concern for all European citizens, and not only in Balkans. There’s also a threat from extremism and terrorism as we saw in Brussels recently. But one thing is clear, fight against these threats is outside of possibilities of any individual organization, including the army, and only by common work and effort these threats will be successfully solved. In this sense, NATO is just one, though an important part of the equation, along with EU and OSCE and others.
