We are pleased to present ISAC’s new publication “Serbia and NATO: Partnership for Peace”.
As the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) continues to expand in Southeast Europe, many of Serbia’s neighbouring countries are now members of the organization. After the Montenegro joint membership in 2017, only Northern Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina remained beyond the borders of the Alliance. After successfully changing the country name, Northern Macedonia is expected to enter full membership in 2019, while Bosnia and Herzegovina is in the process of launching a Membership Action Plan (MAP).
In a geo-strategic position like this, despite all the challenges, it would be in Serbia’s best interest to cooperate with NATO in order to achieve its primary security objectives. Since 2007, Serbia has been a member of NATO’s Partnership for Peace program. This active cooperation program was improved in 2015, through the Individual Partnership Plan (IPAP), which is the highest form of cooperation with NATO available for non-member states. However, Serbia’s relationship with NATO is significantly burdened due to the open dispute with Kosovo, in addition to the bombing in 1999.
The aim of this publication is to better contribute to the knowledge that Serbian citizens possess on NATO’s functions, in addition to an explanation of NATO’s goals. The document also examines the presence of the political-military organization in Europe, as well as the modalities of its cooperation with Serbia and other partner countries.
We would like to thank to the Embassy of Canada to Serbia for their support in publishing this guide.
The publication is available only in Serbian.