Bosnia and Herzegovina can count on NATO's unwavering support: NATO chief

By Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) - NATO on Wednesday reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s sovereignty, security, and stability during a high-level meeting at its headquarters in Brussels.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte welcomed Zeljka Cvijanovic, the Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency chairwoman, emphasizing the alliance’s nearly three-decade-long partnership with the country and the Western Balkans.

"Bosnia and Herzegovina can count on NATO's unwavering support," Rutte said during a joint press conference.

“As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Agreement next year, our commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina and regional stability remains firm. We strongly support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of your country. A stable and secure Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as a peaceful Western Balkans, are in our strategic interest,” he said.

He underscored NATO’s long-lasting support for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s armed forces, defense reforms, and capacity building through initiatives such as the defense capacity building package and daily efforts at the NATO headquarters in Sarajevo.

He also highlighted the complementary nature of NATO’s support to the country’s EU accession process.

“NATO continues to work in lockstep with the European Union through Operation Althea, with the support under the Berlin Plus arrangements. The security of Bosnia and Herzegovina matters for the region and the alliance, and we will not allow hard-won peace to be jeopardized,” he added.

Cvijanovic, for her part, expressed gratitude for NATO’s consistent support, particularly in defense and security capacity building.

“We are grateful to NATO for support that has been given to us throughout the years, and we expect, actually, that this support is going to be there whenever it’s needed.

“And also, I would like to thank you for, especially for the support that was given to us in terms of capacity building, defense, and related security capacity building, and we would like to actually support to be continued in the future,” she said.