Al Jazeera
April 5, 2022

Kosovo, Bosnia call for NATO membership as war rages in Ukraine

In interviews with Al Jazeera, Kosovo’s president and Bosnia’s defence minister share their concerns about regional security and Moscow-friendly Serbia.

As Russia’s influence grows in the Western Balkans and war rages in Ukraine, the leaders of Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina have said joining NATO would help….

Since February 24…fears have simmered that the crisis may spread to the Western Balkans.

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For Bosnia and Kosovo…both countries have made it a strategic goal to join the United States-led transatlantic military alliance.

The pair remain the last non-NATO members in the region, aside from Serbia which views NATO as its “enemy”.

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Bosnia is currently participating in the Membership Action Plan (MAP), seen as “the last step before gaining [NATO] membership”, according to Bosnia’s Defence Minister Sifet Podzic.

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Three days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Kosovo requested accelerated membership in NATO and demanded a permanent US military base on its territory.

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[Kosovo President Vjosa] Osmani said Kosovo first aims to join mechanisms such as the Partnership for Peace, a NATO programme that encourages cooperation with non-member countries.

“We are already talking to [NATO] members to make sure that everyone understands how membership is becoming indispensable, especially in light of events in Ukraine,” Osmani said, stressing political dialogue.