Bosnia and Herzegovina supports NATO's open door policy and any step forward in the relations with the alliance will mean more peace and more security in BiH and the region, Bosnian Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic said in the meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Tuesday.

Turkovic met the NATO official to discuss the progress in the country's relations with the alliance as well as ongoing political developments.

According to the Foreign Affairs Ministry's statement, the collocutors expressed strong support for the territorial integrity and stability of BiH as well as concern over the rhetoric and activities that undermine the state institutions.

It was emphasised that BiH and the Western Balkans are key to stability of Europe, and that the NATO presence is continuous.

Važan susret sa @jensstoltenberg u Briselu. U fokusu situacija u 🇧🇦 i regiji Zapadnog Balkana. NATO je ključni faktor stabilnosti u regiji. Zabrinutost zbog retorike i akcija koje podrivanju državne institucije. Podrška @NATO politici otvorenih vrata koja je historijski uspjeh. pic.twitter.com/FHfASuboOU

— Bisera Turković (@BiseraTurkovic) February 8, 2022

Turkovic conveyed the concerns of Bosnian citizens over the fact that the political crisis is turning into a security crisis, and is causing fear, especially among returnees in the Serb-dominated entity of Republika Srpska as well as other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

She emphasized that BiH supports NATO's open door policy, considering it a historic success that has brought and preserved peace.

Turkovic recalled that 15 years ago Bosnia entered the Partnership for Peace with NATO, which was a crucial contribution to the progress.

“Every step further will mean more peace and security in BiH and the region,” Turkovic added.