Lunic: Kosovo does not meet any criteria for NATO

Executive Director of the Council for Strategic Policies Nikola Lunic assesses that it is explicitly not certain that Kosovo could be one of the next NATO members because it does not meet any necessary conditions, including a particularly emphasized "fair treatment of national minorities."

Lunic says that the Alliance is a military and political organization where decisions are made by consensus, and Article 10 talks about the way new members enter, which must meet a series of political, economic, and military criteria.

"It should be a democratic country based on a market economy and have a fair treatment of national minorities. And that is particularly emphasized. If we add economic criteria to that, which is two percent of gross national income that must be allocated to its armed forces, considering that Kosovo does not have an army at the moment, armed forces, and it is questionable when they will have one and in what structure," Lunic says.

He is skeptical about how long the procedure for Kosovo's admission to NATO would take.

"Kosovo is not a NATO partner country. They are not a member of the Partnership for Peace. They still need to establish their army, become a member of the Partnership, and if they wish and if they meet the criteria to enter the Partnership Action Plan, then the technical procedure begins: from the Letter of Intent, access protocols, parliamentary ratifications that can last up to a year," Lunic assesses.

According to him, the announcements by Kosovo officials that they expect swift admission to NATO are populist statements not based on facts but solely directed towards Serbia.

"It is explicitly not certain, nor will it happen. It is a political, populist rhetoric that exploits Serbia's confusion in such geopolitical, tectonic disturbances. Serbia is seeking its place in a balanced foreign policy and some kind of virtual military neutrality which is unsustainable in this situation," Lunic emphasizes.

He adds that Pristina has a clear goal of portraying Serbia in the international community as a Russian proxy player.

"This should not be ignored, and Serbia should focus on it very clearly and dedicatedly. To convince the international community that our freedom and dedication to European principles and values are a priority. We have put that dedication in Article 1 of the Constitution of Serbia. Our country is based on such principles," Lunic believes.

He says that the best "response" for Serbia is to homogenize its foreign and security policy with the EU as soon as possible.

"We must not allow any instability in the Western Balkans, which undoubtedly would suit Pristina. This is not in the interest of Serbs and Serbia at the moment," Lunic is explicit.

He warns that Kosovo decided back in 2018 that it would form its armed forces within ten years.

"So, by 2028, they will probably establish those forces. What they will be like, what structure they will have, and what capabilities they will have will depend on Serbia. That's why in the negotiations on the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, I am convinced, there should be discussions about security aspects and there should be a security aspect because it is necessary to agree on whether it will be a mono-national army or a multinational army. Whether they will have all the capabilities they want or will limit military capabilities. What will their structure be like: will Serbs participate in that army or not. And ultimately, as unbelievable as it sounds, whether Kosovo will be a potential partner to Serbia or will remain our eternal enemy," Lunic concludes.