Colomina with Helez: NATO will not allow any security vacuum in BiH, make a step towards the Euro-Atlantic path

(Patria) - Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Minister of Defense Zukan Helez, along with Deputy Minister of Defense of BiH Aleksandar Goganović, received the Acting Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Political Affairs and Security Policy Javier Colomina for an official visit on Thursday, October 24, 2024. Colomina is on a multi-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina and is also participating in the "NATO Partnership Symposium 360" held in Sarajevo. He arrived at the meeting at the BiH Ministry of Defense headquarters with Commander of NATO Headquarters Sarajevo, Brigadier General Matthew Valas, and Head of the NATO Political Affairs and Support Division, Ambassador Vladimir Vučinić. Colomina expressed the firm determination of the NATO alliance not to allow any security vacuum and that it will always stand with the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, he stressed that it would be extremely important for political representatives in BiH to show unity and seize the current geostrategic moment to make a key step towards Euro-Atlantic institutions. "The stability of the Balkans is extremely important to us. Although it is not a serious crisis, we are concerned about the rhetoric of division in BiH. That is why we fully support the KFOR and EUFOR missions in the region. We are optimistic about the extension of the EUFOR mission in BiH, which will be decided in November, but NATO is ready to react to any eventuality if it proves necessary. We support the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but in this regard, it is important for BiH politicians to act united, especially when it comes to the path to EU membership," Colomina emphasized. Minister Helez expressed his gratitude to his guest for NATO's increased political presence in BiH, which is primarily reflected in the fact that BiH hosted the North Atlantic Council (NAC) meeting in February, followed by the Military-Strategic Partnership Conference in April, and the "Symposium 360," which is currently underway. He highlighted the importance of implementing NATO's Defence Capacity Building (DCB) initiative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also added that necessity, as well as the very low allocation of only 0.9 percent of gross domestic product for defense, has prompted BiH to seek solutions for the procurement of new combat assets in bilateral talks with partners. "Russia's strong negative influence is felt within our institutions. The Presidency of BiH once adopted the Modernization Plan of the Armed Forces of BiH, for which one billion euros were to be allocated in the period from 2017 to 2027. However, due to blockades in the Council of Ministers, this did not happen," Helez emphasized. "In cooperation with NATO, we finally made progress this month, and the Commission for Cooperation with NATO agreed on the submission of the Reform Program for 2023. The document is now in the public consultation process and should be considered by the Council of Ministers in the coming days. The defense institutions of BiH remain firmly committed to using all available partnership tools and the NATO integration process." Deputy Minister Goganović stated that cooperation with NATO is excellent and will continue to develop. He stressed that he expects the Reform Program for 2024 to be agreed upon by the end of the year. "We support the continuation of the EUFOR mission in BiH, and the path to full membership in the European Union must have no alternative. We support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of BiH, as well as the provisions of the Dayton Agreement. For the sake of stability in the region, regional cooperation is important to us, and we must seek solutions to political disagreements through dialogue. We are monitoring the complexity and seriousness of conflicts in the world, and the citizens of BiH will always be for peace," Goganović emphasized. Assistant Minister of Defense of BiH for International Cooperation Zoran Šajinović, as well as the heads of the cabinet of the Minister of Defense of BiH and the cabinets of both deputies, Salko Beba, Danijela Bilić, and Aleksandar Nikolić, also attended the meeting at the BiH MoD headquarters.