Brkic: NATO expects swift formation of government in Bosnia and intensified cooperation

At NATO headquarters, he led a BiH delegation at a meeting with NATO member states and partners to review the implementation of BiH's Individual Tailored Partnership Programme (ITPP), which the country signed with NATO last year for the 2025–2028 period.

"Representatives of many member states who took part in the discussion praised the level of implementation of this document, which has already reached 70 percent in its first year. Everyone was interested in the current security and political situation in BiH and the region, as well as the formation of governments at all levels in BiH following the elections," said Brkic.

"I said that the political winners of these elections are clear and that all messages coming from those who will assume responsibility for relations between BiH and NATO indicate that cooperation should be intensified and remain visible, as it has been in previous years. The Presidency of BiH, in particular, as the body responsible for foreign policy and the civilian command authority over the Armed Forces of BiH, will play a special role in relations with NATO in its new composition. We expect cooperation to continue," Brkic said.

He also led the BiH delegation at a meeting with NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Sekerinska, who is very familiar with Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region.

"The focus was once again on the swift implementation of the election results, given the clear winners, so that the positive momentum in relations between BiH and NATO is not lost. I invited Ms. Sekerinska to visit BiH as soon as possible, because it is very important to maintain this level of communication and engagement between NATO and BiH officials," Brkic said.

They also discussed the adoption of the Reform Programme for 2026. Brkic believes the conditions are now in place for it to be approved following the elections, first by the Commission and then by the Council of Ministers of BiH.

"NATO member states and officials paid particular attention to increasing allocations for the Armed Forces of BiH in the state budget. BiH must gradually meet the standards established within NATO. We currently spend around one percent of GDP on security, and this needs to be increased by several percentage points. We must find the means and the political will, primarily for our own sake, to strengthen our capabilities, especially those that serve all constituent peoples and citizens of BiH. We saw how necessary and active the Armed Forces of BiH were during this summer’s wildfire season. That is just one example; there are many areas in which we can invest in the Armed Forces so that they can provide direct support to everyone in BiH," Brkic stressed.