NATO is ready to accept the submission of Bosnia and Herzegovina's first annual national programme, which practically means activation of the country's Membership Action Plan (MAP), Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said following a two-day session of the NATO foreign ministers on Wednesday.
“It is now up to Bosnia and Herzegovina to make the next step and decide whether to take up this offer,” said the NATO official.
NATO foreign ministers met to discuss top global issues including the situation in the Western Balkans, specifically the Belgrade-Pristina relations, Skopje's efforts on the path to the NATO as well as the next steps in Bosnia's relationship with the alliance.
The meeting was also attended by European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini which, according to Stoltenberg, “demonstrates once again that the NATO and the European Union have a shared commitment to stability and security in the region.”
“Today, NATO foreign ministers also agreed to continue supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina with its reforms. We are ready to accept the submission of the country's first annual national programme. This includes practical measures covering political, economic and defence reform which will help them to prepare for the membership,” Stoltenberg said.
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NATO agreed to launch the MAP for Bosnia in April 2010 and the country has been struggling to meet the necessary criteria, foremost to carry out the registration of military property, in order to get the green light for launching its first annual national programme, final step towards the MAP activation.
While there is a full consensus of political actors and authorities at all levels on the country's path to the EU, Bosnian Serb leadership strongly objects the NATO membership pursuant to a document on military neutrality which entity parliament of Republika Srpska, Serb-dominated part, adopted in 2017 and the policy that Serbia practices towards the alliance.
