What is the American-Adriatic Charter Summit, scheduled for August 2nd in Montenegro?

Prime Minister Denis Zvizdić will represent Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Adriatic Charter Summit on August 2nd in the Montenegrin capital, and the Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence, will also travel to the Summit.

The hosts of the Summit in Podgorica are Montenegro and Macedonia, and in addition to these countries, leaders from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Croatia, Kosovo, Serbia, and Slovenia will attend the Summit.

They will discuss accelerating the Euro-Atlantic integration of the region's countries, upcoming reforms, and promoting regional reconciliation, as well as joint contributions to regional and global stability.

The American-Adriatic Charter was founded by the Republic of Albania, Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia, and the USA to help aspirant countries join NATO. The Charter, whose official name is the "Charter of Partnership between Macedonia, Albania, Croatia, and the USA," was signed in May 2003 in Tirana. Montenegro and BiH officially joined the Charter in 2008, while Serbia was granted observer status. After that, the Charter changed its name from A3 to A5, symbolizing the number of signatory countries.

The American Charter represents a strategic partnership among member states that share common interests such as strengthening mutual bilateral and multilateral relations, as well as strengthening relations with other countries in the region with the aim of ensuring integration into European political, economic, security, and defense institutions.

To strengthen cooperation, a Partnership Commission was established as the most significant body of this initiative, comprising foreign ministers who meet twice a year to assess the results of bilateral consultations on democratic reforms, human rights, economic reform, crime and corruption, regional security, and other areas. They also review progress in line with the Charter's objectives.
 
Member states also meet at the level of defense ministers and chiefs of general staff. The presidency of the Adriatic Charter rotates alphabetically and lasts for one year, starting from June 2013.