Ferguson: I will strongly advocate for BiH's membership in NATO

British Ambassador Edward Ferguson has written a new blog about NATO and BiH's path towards this most significant military alliance, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

Given that the UK has taken over the role of NATO Embassy in Sarajevo from Turkey, he went to Brussels to familiarize himself with NATO's priorities and challenges in our rapidly changing and increasingly complex world.

- NATO faces a major task of reconfiguration to respond to aggressive, expansionist Russia in the east, and the threat of Islamic extremism in the south. But what impressed me the most is that NATO still has the Balkans in mind.

There is a lot of goodwill towards this region, and everyone wants to see Bosnia and Herzegovina and its neighbors in the Alliance. NATO sees this region, and its lasting stability, as unfinished business. And it's not hard to see why. Just look at the map. NATO allies are to the north, south, east, and west. But in the very heart of Europe, there is a gap. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a European country, and its place is in the European alliance.

I know that not everyone in this country is yet fully convinced that they should join NATO. Yes, there is the past. But if you are willing to turn towards the future instead of the past, then the case for NATO is clear and compelling. I see it this way:

NATO - security

NATO is the most powerful and successful alliance in world history. It is the ultimate guarantor of a country's security. When countries join NATO, they take a solemn oath that any attack on an allied country will be considered an attack on all of them, and that they will assist their ally with all necessary means. NATO considers borders inviolable, which for a country with Bosnia and Herzegovina's history is a guarantee worth having.

Security - stability

After securing its future security through NATO, a country can focus on its long-term political and economic stability without worrying about what is happening outside its borders. And during last year's floods, we saw that your Armed Forces can already act in providing assistance during an internal crisis. NATO can offer expertise to make them even better at acting as a modern and effective force for stability.

Stability - prosperity

Investors want stability. For many years, BiH has sent the image of an unstable and divided country to the outside world. There is no better signal for potential investors in this country than progress on the path towards NATO and the EU. In the region, Croatia, Slovenia, and Albania are already NATO allies. And other countries are also moving closer to NATO, including those that, like parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, experienced NATO bombing in the past 20 years. Montenegro is close to joining NATO. Serbia's cooperation with NATO is increasing. Serbia's Minister of Defense attended last year's NATO summit in Wales, and in January, Serbia adopted an individual partnership action plan with NATO – the first official step on the path to membership in the Alliance.

Just as is the case with the EU, Bosnia and Herzegovina risks falling behind its neighbors. But it doesn't have to be that way. Progress can be made very quickly. Governing coalitions at the state and Federation levels have already agreed to finally implement the Constitutional Court's decision and officially register military property to the state. If this is achieved, BiH will, in return, receive the Membership Action Plan (MAP) for NATO – the next step towards full membership in the Alliance. MAP is not a guarantee of future membership, but it would be a great signal that the country is making progress after years of stagnation. And that is not the only advantage. Property not needed by the Armed Forces could finally be sold to secure much-needed funds for investment in schools, hospitals, and roads.

Over the coming months, I will advocate for NATO membership across the country. But I would like this new energy and momentum we have achieved in the EU accession process to help unblock progress towards NATO. Then Bosnia and Herzegovina would be firmly on the path to greater security, stability, and prosperity, for the benefit of all citizens of BiH.