Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina visits NATO
The Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr Željko Komšić, accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Sven Alkalaj, and the Minister of Defence, Mr Selmo Cikotić, visited NATO Headquarters on Friday, 2 October 2009. They met with the NATO Secretary General, Mr Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
During the meeting, Mr Komšić submitted the official application by Bosnia and Herzegovina to join the Membership Action Plan (MAP), which is designed to prepare candidate countries for full NATO membership.
NATO Secretary General Fogh Rasmussen welcomed their Euro-Atlantic aspirations. He said: “I believe that this application is the best route to lasting stability in the Euro-Atlantic area. It is my vision for all countries in the Western Balkans to be integrated in NATO”. But he also stressed that Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to continue and step up its reform work, especially regarding its democratic institutions, constitutional arrangements, and in the defence realm.
Also discussed were the welcome contribution by Bosnia and Herzegovina to the ISAF mission and the progress made in Bosnia’s Partnership for Peace cooperation.