NATO Approves Membership Action Plan for Bosnia
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| Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General Photo: NATO |
NATO ministers meeting on Tuesday in Brussels called on Bosnia to submit its first annual national program, after agreeing to start implementing its Membership Action Plan, MAP, which was first offered years ago.
The programme of advice, assistance and practical support is designed for countries wishing to join the Atlantic alliance.
NATO Warns Kosovo Against Move to Form Army Ahead of a planned vote in the Kosovo parliament on December 14 on transforming the country’s lightly armed security force into a de-facto army, the NATO expressed disapproval of the move. “Such a move is ill-timed. It goes against the advice of many NATO Allies. And may have serious repercussions for Kosovo’s future Euro-Atlantic integration,” the NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg stated on Wednesday. Before Kosovo MPs voted the first read of the draft laws on October, NATO called for “full consultations” with “all communities”. NATO told BIRN in October that it supported the “development” of the KSF, but that major changes should only follow consultation with all communities affected, and with NATO itself. It also highlighted that the alliance remains committed to guarding the security and stability of Kosovo through its running operation, KFOR. |
“I expect ministers to agree that we will be ready to accept the first annual national program of Bosnia. It is now up to Bosnia to make next step and decide whether it will take up this offer,” the alliance’s secretary general told a press conference on December 5.
Federica Mogherini, the EU High Representative, who attended the NATO meeting, emphasised the importance of a European perspective for all Balkan countries.
“The European Union has worked a lot, especially in these last couple of years, with all our partners in the Western Balkans, reaffirming a clear European Union perspective for all our partners in the region that … is a region that is crucial for European security,” Mogherini told the summit.
NATO foreign ministers invited Bosnia to join the MAP back in 2010. However, activation was conditioned on the state first registering all military property.
The problem is that this comes under the control of the Bosnia’s two entities, the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska and the Federation entity.
Bosnian Serb officials strongly oppose the idea of the state assuming control of this military property, insisting it should remain the entities’ responsibility.
After the state Constitutional Court ruled in August 2017 that a military facility in Han Pijesak, in Republika Srpska, must be registered with the state, Bosnia was given an opportunity to accelerate the process.
Despite that, only 33 of 63 properties previously owned by the former Yugoslav Army have been fully registered, the Bosnian Defence Ministry says.
Meanwhile, the pro-Russian Bosnian Serb leader, Milorad Dodik, insists that he will block any moves by Bosnia to join NATO, insisting on military neutrality, in line with Serbia.
Commenting on the wider situation in the Balkans, Stoltenberg said he hoped Macedonia would complete its parliamentary procedures regarding its change of name, and praised everything that has been done so far.
After a years of waiting, NATO in July invited Macedonia to start accession talks and become the alliance’s thirtieth member, once the deal over its name with Greece is finalised.
Stoltenberg added then that Macedonia would join NATO once all of the procedures for the deal with Greece are implemented, which includes changing the country’s name to the Republic of North Macedonia.
Owing to a Greeck blockade, Macedonia has held the status of a candidate country for 19 years.
Stoltenberg also called Serbia a valued partner. He said NATO fully supports the EU-led dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina as it is “critical for regional peace and security”.
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