The United Kingdom values Bosnia and Herzegovina as a close and reliable defence partner.  For over 14 years we have been supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina’s process of defence reform through an active programme of defence cooperation.  That support is now starting to pay dividends as we see Bosnia and Herzegovina moving in the direction of NATO membership and contributing, alongside UK troops, to international military operations.

We support defence reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a number of reasons.  One is because we believe it has made a major contribution to stabilisation and internal cohesion. It sends a massive signal both within Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad that separate armies who have fought each other in recent memory can come together to form a single effective armed forces.  That is an achievement in which the people and politicians of Bosnia and Herzegovina can take much pride.  It also sends an important wider message that the establishment of effective state-level structures in appropriate fields is something from which all constituent peoples can benefit.

We also support defence reform because we want to see Bosnia and Herzegovina becoming a member of NATO.  In our view, Euro-Atlantic integration offers the best framework for lasting security and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkans region as a whole.  Bosnia and Herzegovina is a fair way down the road towards NATO membership.  It became a member of PfP in 2006. Bosnia and Herzegovina has indicated that it intends to apply soon for MAP status. Further progress on defence reform is vital to underpin Bosnia and Herzegovina’s NATO aspirations.  

We have an additional interest in defence reform.  In the last few years, the international community has faced many security challenges – in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and elsewhere.  The more countries that can contribute to international efforts to manage these challenges the better.  Bosnia and Herzegovina already has a strong track record in this respect having contributed to international operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Eritrea.  Further defence reform will enable Bosnia and Herzegovina to sustain and build on this reputation.

These contributions send a very positive message that Bosnia and Herzegovina is ready and able to shoulder its commitments to international security.  So too does Bosnia and Herzegovina’s participation in the recent PfP exercise in Georgia and the fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina is now the first non-NATO country to host a major NATO military exercise – Operation Combined Endeavour, currently taking place near Banja Luka.

Through such contributions, Bosnia and Herzegovina is moving from being a consumer of international stabilisation efforts to being a provider.  That is a huge and important step.  Joining NATO is not just about benefiting from the protective umbrella of the Alliance.  It is also about enhancing the capacity of the Alliance.  As I have said above, NATO is not looking for new members as an end in itself but regards expansion as a way of extending the  benefits of membership including stable defence relations to the Balkan region.  It is also looking for additional capacities that will strengthen it as it expands.  New members need to bring something to the Alliance other than just additional territory.

Defence reform has moved a long way in Bosnia and Herzegovina but the journey is not complete.  There are a number of remaining challenges.  One of the most immediate is finding a sustainable resolution to the issue of defence property.  This is more than just a technical issue.  At present the Bosnian armed forces have responsibility for protecting many properties that they no longer need and large quantities of munitions that are no longer required.  As a result the largest current tasking of the Bosnian armed forces is in guarding infrastructure much of which is surplus.  That is wasteful and something that must change if the Bosnian armed forces are to realise their full potential.

NATO accession requirements go wider than simply the technicalities of defence reform. NATO expects new members to be politically stable and to have functional and effective institutional frameworks in particular for foreign and defence policy.  Progress on some of the current political challenges facing Bosnia and Herzegovina – completing the conditions and objectives set by the PIC for OHR closure and constitutional reform – would reassure Alliance members that the country is moving in the right direction on this challenge.  It would significantly enhance Bosnia and Herzegovina’s credibility as a future member of the Alliance.

The UK will continue to stand firmly behind Bosnia and Herzegovina on its journey towards NATO membership.  We are providing practical support in a number of areas.  We have recently completed a programme of English language training for the Bosnian armed forces, something which will strengthen the country’s capacity to operate alongside partner countries.  We are playing a key role in the Peace Support Operations Training Centre which provides the training for Bosnia and Herzegovina to participate in international military operations.  Senior Bosnian officers have taken part in courses at the Royal College of Defence Studies.  We are supporting outplacement programmes for retiring personnel that help facilitate the modernisation of the armed forces.

This support will continue in the future.  In due course I am confident that the UK and Bosnia and Herzegovina will be fellow members of the NATO Alliance.  But I am delighted that in the meantime we have already developed a close and enduring defence partnership from which we are both benefiting.

Notes for Editors

The text was published in Nezavisne novine on 15 September 2009.

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