Even though BiH seems to be at a standstill, it is progressing every day in fulfilling the standards and necessary requirements for NATO membership, announced yesterday the Head of the Office for NATO and Partnership for Peace in the BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs Momir Brajić.
He hopes that this process would accelerate, but notes that BiH has mechanisms to cooperate on this issue with other countries through the Adriatic Charter.
Resolving the issue of military property is a requirement to activate the Action Plan for Membership (MAP), and the solution involves entry to 63 perspective locations.
Brajić emphasized that, when all conditions are met, it does not mean that BiH would be admitted to the military alliance. This all depends on the decision of NATO.
He recalled the process since 2006 that BiH is developing with NATO, as well as for the BiH Armed Forces from accession to the Partnership for Peace participate in the peace operations throughout the world, and which is very important.
Brajić spoke about this topic at the public hearings on the topic “Is NATO only a defense alliance?”, which was held in Banja Luka under the organization of the Atlantic Initiative and CESER Center.
Edina Bećirević, President of the Atlantic Initiative in BiH said that the goal of this gathering is to encourage citizens for dialogue and to become informed on what NATO is and what would BiH’s membership to NATO mean.
“BIH still has not fulfilled the obligations relating to military property and it depends on the politicians how fast we will progress to NATO’’, she said and recalled that there is a state consensus that BIH wants to enter the alliance.
However, this topic is manipulated for political purposes regarding the pre-election campaign for 2014.
It was said at the meeting that difficult conditions face BiH. Perspective locations have not been solved yet, even if the initial steps have begun.
At the gathering the organization and functioning of NATO was presented, as well as the obligations and advantages of countries in the region.
