Remarks

President Cvijanović, dear Željka, welcome again to NATO headquarters. Thank you for being here today as chairwoman of Bosnia Herzegovina’s presidency.

NATO has been committed to Bosnia and Herzegovina for almost three decades. As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Agreement next year, our commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina and to regional stability remains firm. 

We strongly support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of your country, a stable and secure Bosnia and Herzegovina and a peaceful Western Balkans are in our strategic interest. I welcome today's meeting to discuss together how to further strengthen our cooperation and build on NATO's long-lasting support to your country's armed forces and defence and security reforms. 

Through the implementation of our defence capacity building package and through the daily efforts of our headquarters in Sarajevo and our newly established political engagement support cell, these efforts are for the benefit of all of your citizens, and they are complementary to your country's EU accession process, which, as you know, we fully support. 

NATO continues to work in lockstep with the European Union through Operation EUFOR 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 jeopardised. I count on all political leaders in your country to work constructively together in the spirit of reconciliation and to safeguard the functionality of the state institutions. I believe this is key to ensure the lasting stability of your country and to address the needs of your people. 

Once again, Bosnia and Herzegovina can count on NATO's unwavering support. I look forward to our discussions ongoing after today. We met first time in January when I was in my previous role. I really look forward to our ongoing discussions and meetings. But for now, it's my honour to give you the floor.