Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, the chair of NATO’s Military Committee, visited Bosnia and Herzegovina on 16–17 April to discuss cooperation between the country and the Alliance.
The NATO Military Committee is the alliance’s senior military authority, made up of the chiefs of defence from NATO member states.
During the trip to Sarajevo, Cavo Dragone met Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Deputy Minister of Defence for Policy and Plans, Slaven Galić, and the Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces, General Gojko Knežević, the NATO press service reported on Friday night.
The meetings covered NATO’s focus on the Western Balkans and the role of NATO Headquarters Sarajevo, the organisation added.
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s officials also presented the readiness of the country’s armed forces, its partnership with NATO and future plans for the defence sector.
Meetings at NATO HQ Sarajevo
Cavo Dragone said: “I want to assure you, that the Western Balkans remains high on NATO’s agenda. It is a region of strategic importance for the Alliance. Our commitment to the region’s stability is steadfast and we will not allow a security vacuum to emerge,” NATO reported.
He also met Brigadier General Mathew A. Valas, the Commander of NATO Headquarters Sarajevo and Senior Military Representative, as well as Louis J. Crishock, the Principal Deputy of the High Representative.
Those discussions covered defence and security sector reforms, NATO’s Partnership for Peace activities, and military cooperation with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
