NATO’s Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Partnerships, Ambassador Kevin Hamilton, has completed his first official visit to the Western Balkans, holding talks in Sarajevo, Belgrade and Pristina between 14 and 22 May.
Hamilton met senior officials in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital, including Presidency member Željko Komšić and representatives of Chairman Denis Bećirović and Presidency member Željka Cvijanović, NATO informed on Wednesday.
He described NATO’s partnership with Bosnia and Herzegovina as based on political dialogue and practical cooperation, and referred to cooperation between NATO and the European Union working with Bosnian institutions and local communities.
Hamilton also urged national authorities to make full use of existing NATO partnership tools and to prioritise building “institutional resilience” and increasing defence spending.
Meetings in Serbia and Kosovo, and a first joint exercise
In Belgrade, Hamilton met Nevena Jovanović, a state secretary at Serbia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Colonel Zlatko Bogosavljević, head of international military cooperation at Serbia’s Ministry of Defence, as well as other senior officials, NATO said.
Those discussions covered NATO–Serbia cooperation, regional stability and joint training initiatives.
In Pristina, he met representatives of Kosovo’s institutions, including Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Glauk Konjufca and Ejup Maqedonci, and also held talks with EU officials and other members of the international community.
He said NATO’s long-running presence in Kosovo through KFOR — the alliance-led peacekeeping force — remains vital for regional stability, dialogue and mutual understanding.
Hamilton also attended the first NATO–Serbia joint military exercise at the Borovac training site in Serbia, where he met Defence Minister Bratislav Gašić and other senior military leaders and officials.
