The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Josip Brkić, met today in Brussels, in separate meetings, with the Deputy Assistant Secretary General of NATO, Javier Colomina, and the Head of NATO for Security Policy and Partnerships, James H. Mackey.
Brkić used the opportunity to express his gratitude to NATO representatives for their commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina and its Euro-Atlantic perspective, for continuous support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country, as well as for help in implementing reforms that will increase the stability and prosperity of the country and its citizens and the regions of the Western Balkans.
He also welcomed NATO’s decision to develop a new package for building defense capacities for Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was officially approved on February 10.
The package includes nine projects for the defense system and three projects for the security system. These projects are very important for strengthening defense capabilities, resilience and interoperability with NATO, said Deputy Minister Brkić. At the beginning of this month, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina sent an invitation letter to the Secretary General of NATO for the visit of the North Atlantic Council to our country in 2023.
The visit would represent an excellent opportunity to strengthen cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and NATO. Deputy Minister Brkić said that Bosnia and Herzegovina expressed its readiness to host the Partnership Symposium in 2024, which has a global character and where allies, partner countries and international organizations have the opportunity to discuss common security and other challenges that our societies face.
Deputy Minister Brkić also pointed to the long-standing obstacle on the way to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s membership, which is reflected in the lack of political consensus for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s membership in NATO.
He particularly emphasized that the coordination of competent ministries and agencies at the state level is achieved through the Commission for Cooperation with NATO of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in order to ensure the continuity and coordination of actors whose work plays a vital role in the initiated reforms specified in the Reform Program of Bosnia and Herzegovina. and that the establishment of a new convocation of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina led to personnel changes in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in the composition of the Commission, which is in the process of confirmation before the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He assessed that after major security changes in Europe during the last year, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is extremely important to intensify cooperation and dialogue, announced the Public Relations Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Photo: illustration
