Lunic: The region is of strategic importance to NATO, but no chance for a top position in the Alliance

Nikola Lunic, Executive Director of the Council for Strategic Policies, stated that while it would be beneficial and deserved for the Western Balkans to have a deputy position for the new NATO Secretary General, such a scenario is unrealistic. However, he believes that the preference in the selection process will likely be given to a country from the eastern wing of the Alliance, such as Poland.

“The Western Balkans region certainly deserves to have a NATO Deputy Secretary General. Many politicians are not only capable but also deserving of such a position, like Milo Djukanovic, who practically led Montenegro into NATO with his narrative. However, in the current geopolitical situation, I do not expect this. I would expect the Deputy Secretary General of NATO to be chosen from one of the countries on NATO’s eastern flank. Let me remind you that Poland now allocates more than four percent of its gross national income to defense. Everyone knows this, and formally or informally, they would deserve such a position,” Lunic stated to Kosovo Online, commenting on the possibility that former North Macedonian Defense Minister Radmila Sekerinska might be chosen as Deputy Secretary General of NATO under the new Secretary General, Mark Rutte.

He also believes that choosing a person from the Western Balkans as NATO Deputy Secretary General would be fundamentally irrelevant for the region.

He points out that the role comes with much less authority compared to the position of NATO Secretary General.

“For the security and stability of this part of the region, especially for Serbia and Kosovo, it is irrelevant. The Deputy Secretary General of NATO, despite having a very important role in NATO, does not formally represent a decision-maker. The decision-maker is the Secretary-General, who negotiates with the sovereign leaders of NATO member states. Therefore, I don’t think this will have an impact on Serbia and Kosovo,” Lunic emphasized.

According to him, even if Sekerinska were to be chosen for the position, it would only be significant for North Macedonia and could cause controversy in the region.

“For North Macedonia, it would certainly be meaningful. It would likely enhance Macedonia's capabilities, which have been neglected so far. However, for the entire region, I’m not sure certain countries would welcome it. As you know, the region has an unresolved history where the nationality of a candidate is immediately perceived through the politics of one country. Therefore, whether it is a Croatian, Macedonian, or Montenegrin candidate, some countries will certainly have animosities toward such a choice,” Lunic concluded.

Lunic emphasizes that regardless of who is chosen, the Western Balkans remain of strategic importance to NATO, and this has been clearly emphasized on multiple occasions.

“If you look at the final declarations of the last two NATO summits, you’ll see that the Western Balkans region is of strategic importance to NATO. They emphasize this,” Lunic noted.

As further evidence of this, he recalled the announcement by the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, that Russia or China might veto the extension of the EUFOR mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the UN Security Council.

“Plans are already in place for the NATO mission to take over from EUFOR. This would see the withdrawal of contingents from countries like Switzerland and Austria, but they would be replaced and strengthened by NATO countries. Therefore, NATO will not allow the escalation of any conflict in the Western Balkans,” Lunic stressed.