Al Attiyah in Sarajevo: BiH's NATO membership serves mutual interest

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Bosnia and Herzegovina has a future in NATO, which would benefit from it if BiH became a member of the Alliance, said Qatari Minister of Defense Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah, during an official visit of a delegation from the Ministry of Defense of Qatar to the Ministry of Defense (MoD) of BiH.

The Qatari delegation met with the BiH Minister of Defense Marina Pendeš and other high-ranking representatives of the MoD and the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of BiH. During the meeting, they discussed, among other things, bilateral cooperation in the field of defense.

The two delegations discussed the agreement on defense cooperation between the Council of Ministers of BiH and the Government of Qatar, which is currently undergoing approval procedures in the Council of Ministers of BiH and the Presidency of BiH.

As stated during the talks, the signing of the agreement would create conditions for more intensive cooperation between the Council of Ministers of BiH and the Government of Qatar in the field of defense, as well as for better cooperation between the two ministries.

The participants of the meeting emphasized that there are excellent conditions and mutual interest for cooperation in the field of education and training of military personnel of the armed forces of the two countries, as well as in participation in peacekeeping operations worldwide.

Minister Al Attiyah also expressed interest in the possibility of cooperation with companies in the defense industry in BiH, which, according to Pendeš, is not within the jurisdiction of the BiH MoD, but also stated that the relevant ministry supports Qatar's expressed commitment to cooperation with BiH institutions, which are responsible for the defense industry.

Representatives of the Qatari and Bosnian-Herzegovinian delegations also discussed current regional challenges, BiH's Euro-Atlantic path, and the activities of the BiH MoD and BiH as a whole in fulfilling the conditions for admission to the NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP).

The Qatari Minister of Defense stated that he supports BiH's Euro-Atlantic path and that if it becomes a member of the Alliance, the NATO alliance would also benefit.

The Qatari delegation included the Chargé d'affaires of the Embassy of the State of Qatar in BiH, Mohammed Ali Al-Marry, and Minister Al Attiyah's closest associates. The BiH MoD and AF delegation included, besides Pendeš, Deputy Minister Sead Jusić, Chief of the Joint Staff of the AF BiH Lieutenant General Senad Mašović, and Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of the AF BiH Major General Gojko Knežević, with their associates.