Željko Komšić's Statement: Unanimous Support for Territorial Integrity, Sovereignty, Constitutional Order, and Institutions of BiH

(Patria) - BiH Presidency Member Željko Komšić sent his statement to the media regarding the meeting of the members of the collective BiH Presidency and the North Atlantic Council (NAC), held today at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

"At the meeting of the members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the North Atlantic Council, chaired by Deputy Secretary General of NATO Radmila Šekerinska, the current situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina was discussed, as well as the partnership cooperation of our country with the NATO alliance within the framework of Euro-Atlantic integration processes.

At the beginning of the meeting, Chairperson Šekerinska emphasized the importance of holding such high-level meetings between NATO allies and Bosnia and Herzegovina and expressed satisfaction that all three members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina came together to visit the North Atlantic Alliance for the first time since 2002.

From the allies at the meeting, unanimous support was heard for the territorial integrity, sovereignty, constitutional order, and institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Very strong support was also heard for the Office of the High Representative, and condemnation of the political moves and rhetoric of the leadership of the Bosnian entity Republika Srpska, which was assessed as the cause of the political, judicial, and security crisis in our country with serious consequences for the entire region.

The allies sent a clear message that they give full support to domestic institutions in resolving the crisis, calling on domestic political actors to refrain from rhetoric and moves that widen differences, and emphasized that Bosnia and Herzegovina's place is in Brussels, as an equal member of the EU and NATO.

They also expressed hope that the reform processes leading Bosnia and Herzegovina towards Euro-Atlantic integration will accelerate, and that funds allocated for defense, especially in terms of modernizing the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, will significantly increase.

Given that the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina is responsible, among other institutions, for creating the state budget, they called on the members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina to pay special attention to this issue.

NATO remains committed to strengthening the defense and security capacities of Bosnia and Herzegovina through cooperation tools, especially in terms of combating hybrid and other malign threats and influences, but with an emphasis that support programs cannot replace domestic funding for these important sectors," Komšić wrote in his statement.