About NATO CPE

Since the early 1990s, NATO has developed a network of Contact Point Embassies (CPE) in order to support the Alliance’s partnership and public diplomacy activities in countries participating in the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC), Partnership for Peace (PfP), Mediterranean Dialogue (MD) and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI).

In every Partner country an embassy of one of the NATO member states serves as a contact point and operates as a channel for disseminating information about the role and policies of the Alliance.

CPEs work closely with NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division (PDD) to provide information on the purpose and activities of the Alliance in the host country while also supporting the Political Affairs and Security Policy Division (PASP) with its management of EAPC, PfP, MD and ICI policy.

CPEs are not NATO’s diplomatic mission in the host country; however, they play an important role in distributing information about the Alliance.

The CPE and the Hungarian Embassy in Podgorica

From 1^st of January 2009 onward the Hungarian Embassy in Podgorica has been appointed as NATO Contact Point Embassy (CPE) in Montenegro. The duties of the CPE are to carry our public diplomacy tasks and provide the local population with information concerning the aims and activities of the Alliance. In this regard during the first quarter of our CPE assignment and colleagues from the Embassy have been participating in interviews, conferences and public debates on Montenegro’s NATO accession.

• Early January the monthly publication Partner – issued with the support of the Ministry of Defence – has requested an interview with the colleagues of our Embassy. The journalist has asked questions on Hungary’s experiences with NATO accession, on the advantages brought along with membership and on the methods of communicating NATO related issues with the Montenegrin population. The full interview has been published in the January edition of Partner magazine and can be viewed by clicking on this link.

• Also among duties of the CPE are the logistical, organisational and background support of staff coming from NATO HQ in Brussels. In concordance with the above our Embassy has organised an extraordinary Head of Missions meeting on the occasion of the official visit of a delegation from NATO HQ responsible for the IPAP/PARP review process in Montenegro. Dr. Jaroslaw Skonieczka, head of the delegation has informed the ambassadors from NATO Member States on the results of its visit.

• In order to best fulfil the duties arising from Hungary’s CPE role in Montenegro the Embassy is in constant correspondence with local NGOs, university professors and other important public opinion leaders.

The secretary general of the Euro-Atlantic Club of Montenegro (EACM), holding also the vice presidency in the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA) has in numerous cases asked for the support and contribution of our Embassy in carrying out lectures, panel discussions on NATO related issues.

Between the 1^st and 5^th of March EACM has organised a course on International Security where colleagues from our Embassy have been invited to hold lectures to the audience composed of young public servants from ministries in Montenegro. On the fourth day of the conference the Hungarian ambassador Zoltan Somogyi has given a lecture on the Hungarian experiences regarding NATO. At the end of the course the participants have been invited to take part in the graduation ceremony organised on the premises of the Hungarian Embassy where ambassador Somogyi has given a speech to the students and handed out their certificates.

• During March EACM has once again contacted our Embassy in connection to a seminar titled Friend to friend: transfer of experience organised together with the Slovak Atlantic Council. The colleague responsible for Euro/Atlantic integration affairs at the Embassy has participated to the seminar and gave a lecture on Hungary’s experiences with NATO and on the benefits deriving from membership of the Alliance.

• Regarding NATO issues our Embassy besides EACM is keeping contact with other members of the Montenegrin Civil Society like the Alfa Centre and the Centre for Euro-Atlantic Politics. Duties and obligations arising from the CPE role in Montenegro are carried out also through the regular correspondence and consultation with these NGOs.

• At the beginning of April ambassador Somogyi has given an interview on the status of Montenegro’s NATO accession to local TV station INTV. The interview focused on Montenegro’s NATO integration perspectives in the light of the then NATO acceding Albania and Croatia. Moreover questions were asked on the possibilities of Montenegro being invited to NATO’s Membership Action Plan.

• On the 23^rd of April our Embassy has participated in the city of Zabljak (northern part of Montenegro) in a public debate on NATO. Together with the British and Croatian colleagues the Hungarian contribution has meant to give precise answers to questions raised by the public. Similar public debate has taken place on the 28^th of April in the cities of Bijelo Polje and Berane (also northern part of Montenegro) where ambassador Somogyi together with his Rumanian and American colleagues has been addressing questions about Montenegro’s NATO accession raised by the audience.