The Kingdom of Norway supports the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said the Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Norway Bjorn Arild Gram today during a meeting with the members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Bećirović and Željko Cvijanović, and the adviser to the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Željko Komšić Sifet Podžić.
Minister Arild Gram emphasized that in the field of defense, Norway supports Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Euro-Atlantic path, as well as through the Bilateral Defense Cooperation Plan, which is signed on an annual basis, announced the Cabinet of BiH Presidency member Denis Bećirović.
Members of the BiH Presidency talked with Minister Gram about the current situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the cooperation between the two countries. It was established that bilateral relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Kingdom of Norway are good and friendly, and that there is a readiness for additional improvement of economic cooperation.
Bećirović thanked for the support that the Kingdom of Norway provides to Bosnia and Herzegovina on its way to full membership in the EU and NATO. He emphasized the importance of the role of the Embassy of Norway, which since January 2023 is the contact embassy of BiH for cooperation with the NATO alliance and an important partner of BiH.
“Also, Norway helped establish and operate the Peace Operations Training Center (PSOTC), and supported gender equality projects, the prevention of violence in war conflicts, the process of military demining, and the intelligence and security sector and the field of cyber security. The Government of the Kingdom of Norway was is one of the main donors for the NATO trust fund, established in order to take care of excessive military personnel in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Bećirović.
He also pointed to the great importance of the implementation of the NATO initiative of building the defense capabilities of BiH, which, as he stated, is also concrete support for the implementation of the Plan for the Development and Modernization of the Armed Forces of BiH, as well as a contribution to overall security and stability in the country.
Bećirović said that concrete measures must be taken to stop the destructive anti-Dayton policy that threatens peace and security in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the region.
During the conversation, it was stated that the bilateral relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Kingdom of Norway are good and friendly, and that there is a readiness for additional improvement of economic cooperation, it is stated in the statement.
