Vrajolli: Strategic Interest of NATO to be part of it would cut costs in Western Balkans

The executive director of the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (QKSS), Mentor Vrajolli, said Kosovo's NATO membership would be a major strategic interest in the alliance, as it would lower security costs in the Western Balkans and offer new resources useful to member states.

Vrajolli in an interview for Online Economy said that Kosovo is developing a modern army with capabilities trained at the most prestigious international academys, which, according to him, makes it an asset to the alliance at a time when global uncertainty is at its peak.

It is in an extremely high interest of NATO that Kosovo is part of it, because it lowers the need to invest in security in the Western Balkans and in some form enables these resources to be used in other countries. Kosovo's resources are probably also useful because Kosovo is creating an extremely modern army of people trained at the best academys in the world. Perhaps that too could have contributed to the needs of the alliance. We are in a period where global uncertainty is at its peak, so this number of soldiers that Kosovo is building, perhaps even number of interest in the” coalition, Vrajolli said.

He estimated that developments in the defence sector point to a clear Kosovo progress, especially through US support.

What is recently seen is that Kosovo, however, is having a maybe more direct co-operation in the defence sector than it was last year. It is now seen with this contingent of military equipment, which Kosovo has received from the US, so it is clearly noted that Kosovo is making progress in developing the defence sector”, he said.

Speaking of the prospect of NATO membership, Vrajolli considers the process not only depends on Kosovo, but also on supporting the alliance's main powers.

“As for Kosovo's NATO membership, this issue does not depend solely on Kosovo. The issue also depends on the support that Kosovo receives from NATO states, especially from the US. Now it seems to me that some form of the U.S. has created rivalry with both the EU and the European states in general, so maybe we should have strong support from the key states of Europe, in this case the Great Britain, France, Italy and Germany, which will convince these non-recognitions to at least abstain as far as Kosovo's demand to be a member in NATO<1>.

Vrajolli also cited Sweden's case as an example of how compromises can be reached in NATO when there is will from key powers.

The “is especially noted in Sweden's case that NATO can find compromise if there is pressure from key NATO states that even when it is thought that a state may be unable to become part of NATO. Turkey's veto of Sweden has been extremely powerful, and the change in Turkish attitudes shows that, however, NATO could find ways to reach consensus to overcome a” challenge, Vrajolli said./Periscopi/