Crnadak and Pendeš meet with NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller

BRUSSELS, (Patria) - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Igor Crnadak met in Brussels with NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller. The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Defence of BiH Marina Pendeš.

After the meeting with the Deputy Secretary General, Minister Igor Crnadak addressed the members of the North Atlantic Council (NAC), which comprises all ambassadors of NATO member states. Minister Crnadak informed the NAC members that the main foreign policy goals of BiH are membership in the EU and good regional cooperation, as well as the continuation of partnership with NATO.

Minister Crnadak informed the Deputy Secretary General and the ambassadors of the NAC member states about the latest activities of BiH institutions within the European integration process, and emphasized that after submitting BiH's answers to the European Commission's questionnaire, the next step in the European integration process is to gain candidate status for EU membership.

Within the framework of continuing cooperation with NATO, Minister Crnadak highlighted the continuation of participation in the mission in Afghanistan, the continuation of cooperation within the global coalition to combat ISIL, as well as the continuation of cooperation with NATO in numerous other areas as priorities. During the meeting, preparations for the NATO Summit in July, the implementation of NATO's open door policy, the possibility of activating the MAP for BiH in the coming period, as well as numerous other topics related to NATO activities, BiH-NATO relations, and the current political situation in the region were also discussed.

In the discussion held with the NATO Deputy Secretary General and the ambassadors of the NAC member states, support for the continuation of reforms in BiH was emphasized, with a special focus on the fight against corruption and the establishment of the rule of law.