Bissell: Give citizens credible information to then judge NATO

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The NATO alliance respects the sovereignty of every country, and every country has the right to choose what kind of relations it will have with the Alliance. What is important is that citizens receive credible information and then make their own judgments, said the Commander of NATO Headquarters Sarajevo, Brigadier General Marti J. Bissell, in Sarajevo today. 

Bissell was one of the keynote speakers at a forum titled "70 Years of the NATO Alliance - Experiences of Hungary and Montenegro", organized by the Faculty of Criminal Justice, Criminology and Security Studies in cooperation with the Embassies of Hungary and Montenegro in BiH, NATO Headquarters Sarajevo, and the Atlantic Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

"NATO is waiting for BiH to say what kind of relations it wants to have with this alliance, which is here, ready to help," Bissell added. 

Bissell also added that young people are the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

"Therefore, it is important that we give them good information based on which they can make decisions so that they stay here and build their own future in BiH, instead of going somewhere else," she emphasized.

Krisztian Posa, the Hungarian Ambassador to BiH, believes that today's forum was an opportunity to review the significance of NATO in the 21st century. Posa reminded that the Embassy of Hungary is the contact embassy for BiH to NATO. 

"After 20 years, in Hungary, no one even asks if it was worth joining the Alliance or not, because it is logical to everyone that we have only benefited from it," Posa told the attendees. 

Obrad Stanišić, the Ambassador of Montenegro, also addressed the gathering, highlighting the fact that the country he represents is the youngest member of the Alliance. 

Stanišić believes that joining NATO is a "civilizational step forward in the 1,000-year history of Montenegro".

"We have become convinced of this, especially when it comes to foreign investments, the inflow of which has doubled since Montenegro's membership in the NATO alliance," Stanišić stated.

According to him, Montenegrin tourism has also seen continuous growth after joining NATO. 

Lada Sadiković, Head of the Department for Security Studies, addressed the audience on behalf of the organizers and emphasized that NATO is the most important integration step for the survival, development, and progress of the state of BiH, reminding that membership in this alliance also entails political reforms. 

"NATO and the European Union share the same values - the rule of law, the protection of human rights, and democratic governance of states," Sadiković said. 

Professor Jasmin Ahić also addressed the audience on behalf of the organizers, stating that the debate is an opportunity to elaborate on issues significant for the Euro-Atlantic path of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its continuity, as well as the broader context of events shaping the imperative of membership in the NATO alliance. 

He highlighted an interesting fact that both NATO and the University of Sarajevo are celebrating seven decades of existence at the same time.