NATO Secretary General  Jens Stoltenberg has reiterated the call made by the Alliance foreign ministers last week to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s leaders to undertake the political, economic and defence reforms needed for the country to realise its Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

Strengthening defence cooperation, implementing reforms and addressing shared security challenges were the main issues discussed at a meeting between Stoltenberg and the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Dragan Covic on Tuesday at the Alliance headquarters.

Covic and Stoltenberg agreed that activating the first Membership Action Plan (MAP) cycle for Bosnia and Herzegovina remains a shared goal, according to a NATO news release.

“NATO remains committed to a stable and secure Bosnia and Herzegovina and will continue to support its membership aspirations,” the news release read.

Stoltenberg welcomed the progress made on defence reforms, including on registration of immovable defence property as state property.

“More progress on this issue is necessary in order to allow the Alliance to activate the country’s MAP,” NATO said.

As a condition for the implementation of the MAP, ownership of defence properties such as military bases must be transferred from the two entities, which together make up Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Federation and Republika Srpska), to the state. 

Bosnia and Herzegovina joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace initiative in 2006 and actively supports the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission mission in Afghanistan.

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