WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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The Turkish media writes that the political assessment of these nine NATO members is that a candidate from Eastern Europe has a great chance of becoming the Deputy Secretary General of NATO, because the top position in the Alliance will again be assigned to the "old" members of the Alliance.
"We had an insight into the informal draft on which diplomats from nine NATO members are working, who intend to nominate Đukanović for a high position in NATO, and the explanation for his selection is quite detailed," writes Firtina Haber.
Turkish media writing in full:
"The election season across Europe has put, for now, in the shadow an electoral process that is not behind the national or European Parliament elections in terms of importance. A complex process of candidacy, lobbying, bargaining and concessions is underway within NATO regarding the election of a new Secretary General.
This process is slowly entering the final stage, because in a little more than three months, on October 1, the mandate of the current Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, which has already been extraordinarily extended once, will expire.
The upcoming NATO summit in Washington in July should be the place where the coordination among NATO members regarding the new secretary general will be more or less completed.
It is almost certain that the recent Liberal Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, is on his way to become the Secretary General of the Alliance. For now, 29 out of 32 member states are behind Ruta's candidacy, certainly the most important vote from the United States.
Nevertheless, the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, is still in the race, at least formally, although without particular prospects of success. His candidacy has a more symbolic significance, as the voice of Eastern European members of NATO who are seeking to finally be accepted as equal with influence compared to the "old" members from Western Europe.
It is unlikely that this election cycle will satisfy the ambitions of the Eastern Europeans to have their representative on the highest civilian position in the Alliance, but there is room for them to settle for a lower, but still quite influential position in the Alliance instead of the number one position.
Given that there is almost no uncertainty regarding the election of the Secretary General and that the path to the top position in NATO is already paved for Mark Rutte, the race for the positions of his closest associates, and at the same time for other high positions in the new management set, is becoming a lot more interesting.
One name has recently appeared as a solid aspirant for the position of Deputy Secretary General, which was held by the former head of Romanian diplomacy, Mircea Ioan, for the previous five years.
It is about the former president of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović, the long-time leader of this Balkan country, and the man who played a crucial role in the process of Montenegro's accession to NATO until its full membership in 2017.
As we have learned from high-level diplomatic sources from several NATO members, the initiative for Đukanović's candidacy for Deputy Secretary General is being prepared, which is supported by nine members of the Alliance so far. Among them is Turkey.
The assessment in these nine NATO members is that a candidate from Eastern Europe has a great chance of becoming the Deputy Secretary General, given that the Secretary General will once again be from among the "old" members of the Alliance. Second, the leaders of NATO states want to maintain the influence of the Eastern European bloc within NATO due to strategic plans to strengthen the eastern wing, as well as to protect the Alliance from aggressive Russian behavior.
But why did the choice for such a high position in NATO fall on the long-term leader of Montenegro?
We had an insight into the informal draft on which diplomats from 9 NATO members are working, who intend to nominate Đukanović for a high position in NATO, and the explanation for his choice is quite detailed. Đukanović's leadership in the democratic transition of Montenegro towards membership in NATO and the EU, along with the construction of a tolerant multi-ethnic society, stands out. "Under the leadership of Đukanović, Montenegro was not only the only country of the former Yugoslavia that managed to gain independence without a military conflict, but also immediately became the most positive regional example for harmonious internal relations and the spread of tolerance and reconciliation in the post-conflict Balkans," he writes. among other things in the explanation of the possible candidacy of Đukanović.
As a benefit for the Alliance from his election as Deputy Secretary General, a dozen specific points are listed, among which is the very important message that NATO would send with Đukanović's election that it does not allow Russian influence to flow into its member, which is both a symbol and the key to preserving security in the post-conflict world. the Balkans
Also, the choice of the Montenegrin leader is justified by the fact that NATO would recognize the "sacrifice and determination to take risks in order for someone to become a member of the NATO and shared its values". In this context, it is noted that during the period of accession to NATO, Montenegro and Đukanović were exposed to very strong pressure from Russia to abandon that path, which culminated in 2016 when extremists under the influence of Russia attempted an armed coup in Montenegro, the arrest and liquidation of its pro - NATO leaders, including Đukanović himself.
The fact that Montenegro is relatively small and certainly one of the youngest NATO members in this initiative is not taken as a handicap, but quite the opposite, as a quality of Đukanović's candidacy. That would be a decision, according to the draft of support for Đukanović's candidacy, "by which NATO demonstrates that it is open to further expansion, towards all countries that share its values."
Regardless of the fact that the process of agreeing on top positions in NATO is quite complex and uncertain until the very end, the preparation for the candidacy of Milo Đukanović for the second highest civilian position in the Alliance seems grounded and timely. If it wins the support of some more members from the current nine, it will have a chance to be treated very seriously in the coming months during the finalization of the decision on the highest personnel decisions, and especially at the anniversary NATO summit in Washington next month."
