Kožljak for NAP: At this moment, BiH cannot become militarily neutral

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - SNSD's proposals regarding the activation of MAP are increasingly present in the public. Milorad Dodik is openly offering for Bosnia and Herzegovina to abandon the Membership Action Plan (MAP) and turn towards the Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO (IPAP). 

This idea has already been presented to political partners who have the obligation to form a government at the state level in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The existing IPAP that BiH has with NATO should be modified, and Dodik would be satisfied. However, it is clear that IPAP is not the twin brother of MAP, but rather BiH's abandonment of NATO.

Former BiH military representative to NATO, Alija Kožljak, indicated the differences between MAP and IPAP in a statement for the Patria news agency.

“In any case, MAP represents a step towards better cooperation between BiH and NATO. This progress is reflected in several systemic and administrative-technical elements. These essential elements relate to BiH intensifying cooperation with NATO in a way that is adapted for more areas, including political, defense, economic, and legal. In these areas, the country negotiates progress with NATO, which is assessed annually and this assessment is done at the highest level, at the ambassadorial level, while in IPAP, the focus was on defense cooperation, although in the general introductory part, political and legal matters were mostly covered. The very term Membership Action Plan implies the country's preparation through the progress achieved for NATO membership. By entering MAP, the country does not commit to membership, nor does NATO guarantee that the country will become a member, but it prepares for it,” said Kožljak.

The Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO (IPAP) is conducted on a biennial basis and assesses the country's progress, with an emphasis on defense, but it is a partnership between NATO and that country.

“A technical difference is also that with IPAP, the BiH delegation meets with deputy permanent representatives to NATO. By entering MAP, the BiH delegation will be received by permanent representatives' ambassadors in Brussels,” points out Kožljak.

He adds that those who say BiH is already in MAP are not formally or legally wrong.

“As early as 2010, BiH was given a conditional MAP, but the Tallinn condition was not met to register non-perspective military assets, and it was not activated. In December 2018, BiH was offered to submit an Annual National Program, which would represent the activation of MAP. BiH did not respond to this, which practically means we are not in MAP,” notes Kožljak. 

When it comes to military neutrality and the procedures for such decisions, Kožljak points out that no international organization asks any country to declare itself on this issue; it is a matter for each country individually.

“However, BiH has already legally defined itself on this issue. The BiH Defense Law defined it, cooperation with NATO, and commitment to membership. Also, through its foreign policy, primarily through the decisions of the BiH Presidency, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through foreign policy goals, BiH has treated cooperation with NATO. I think military neutrality is unfeasible for BiH, as we are already in an advanced stage of Euro-Atlantic integration, which implies intensive cooperation with NATO leading to membership,” adds Kožljak.