Former U.S. Colonel Philippe Rogers, who worked for 10 years at the headquarters of NATO, said in an interview for Ekonomia Online that Kosovo has made progress in its relations with the alliance, emphasizing that the country is seen as a very important partner, even though it is not yet a member.
During a lecture, Rogers said he has long-standing ties with Kosovo, as he participated in combat missions during the Kosovo War in 1999 and has visited the country several times. He stressed that Kosovo has made noticeable progress in its development and in cooperation with NATO.
“This is a complicated issue, but at the same time it is a very possible outcome, I must say. Of course, there are many obstacles and things that must be overcome. In particular, in today’s lecture I will talk about my relationship with NATO. I worked at NATO headquarters for 10 years, so I am very familiar with Kosovo as a country. I flew combat missions in 1999 during the war and have visited Kosovo several times,” Rogers said.
He mentioned that the obstacles Kosovo must overcome to become a NATO member are mainly diplomatic.
“There is no clear roadmap at the moment. What we call a ‘roadmap’ is actually the Membership Action Plan. When a country receives this plan, it is on a path toward membership. This is not necessarily a quick process, because for some countries it has taken a long time. For example, if we take North Macedonia, it took more than 15 years before it was finally admitted to NATO, largely due to the name dispute it had with Greece.
Kosovo does not have a Membership Action Plan, but what it does have is a very positive presence within the alliance among the countries that recognize it. Even the countries that do not recognize it will take time to at least explain to Kosovars what is happening. I have seen delegations from Kosovo coming to NATO and being received very positively. The challenge is that a country must sponsor Kosovo to participate in these meetings. Usually it is the United States; sometimes it has also been the United Kingdom and other countries. But I would say there is no specific plan at the moment, although this could happen in the future,” Rogers stated.
From a technical perspective, Rogers emphasized that everything will depend on the Membership Action Plan if it is offered to Kosovo one day.
“Technically, this will depend greatly on the Membership Action Plan if it is offered to Kosovo. Then there are several things Kosovo must do. Delegations will go to NATO, ministers will report to the alliance on progress: the rule of law, democratic institutions, and so on. Then things can start moving forward.
I will tell you something: I am very impressed. Today I spent some time at the Ministry of Defense, and I must say I have been closely involved with Kosovo over the years. The Kosovo Security Force in some cases is many years ahead of several countries that are already NATO members. This is related to the size of the army, but what I see from the cooperation between the Kosovo Security Force and the Iowa National Guard, and with the United States through the International Military Education and Training Program, which allows members to attend universities and military academies, shows that Kosovo has done a fantastic job.
I want to emphasize again: their willingness to help in NATO and European Union missions is excellent, because this is how you become an operational partner, which can sometimes lead to a clearer path toward membership,” Rogers added.
He also said that the Kosovo Security Force is viewed more positively than some other countries that are candidates for NATO membership.
“There are many countries that assist the Kosovo Security Force bilaterally and multilaterally during this process. But from NATO’s perspective there is an institution called the NATO Advisory Liaison Team, which helps determine what is expected from the Kosovo Security Force in terms of NATO standards. Then questions arise such as: is the army too large or too small, is it capable or not? However, I can say that currently, according to NALT and other institutions I work with, as well as the bilateral relations I know, the Kosovo Security Force is viewed very positively— even more positively than some other countries that are candidates to join NATO,” Rogers added.
