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Turkey to Continue Supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina's NATO Membership Bid |
27 April 2012Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Turkey would continue to support Bosnia and Herzegovina's bid to join NATO.
Ministry spokesperson Selcuk Unal said Turkey would continue to exert efforts for inclusion of Bosnia and Herzegovina in NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) ahead of and during NATO's Chicago Summit.
"A meeting took place in Brussels on the sidelines of NATO foreign and defense ministers meeting (April 18-19, 2012) with participation of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, as well as foreign ministers of Albania, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary and Norway and representatives of the United States, Italy and Greece upon Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov's invitation in order to support Bosnia and Herzegovina's NATO membership," Unal told AA correspondent.
Unal said participants reaffirmed support to Bosnia and Herzegovina's NATO membership during the meeting.
"Participants wished that Bosnia and Herzegovina's MAP process would actually begin this September and agreed to exert efforts to support the membership ahead of and during NATO Chicago Summit due in May," Unal also said.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of newest members of the Partnership for Peace, having joined in December 2006. The country has been engaged in an Intensified Dialogue with NATO on its membership aspirations and related reforms since April 2008.
Welcoming progress made in its reform efforts, in April 2010, the Allies formally invited the country to join the Membership Action Plan (MAP) with one important condition: the first Annual National Programme under the MAP will only be accepted by NATO once a key remaining issue concerning immovable defence property has been resolved.
MAP is a NATO programme of advice, assistance and practical support tailored to the individual needs of countries wishing to join the Alliance. Participation in the MAP does not prejudge any decision by the Alliance on future membership.
NATO Allies are committed to supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina on its path to Euro-Atlantic integration. However, the key reforms and political decisions needed for Bosnia and Herzegovina to achieve the standards of NATO membership must be taken by the leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina themselves. |
27 April 2012
A.A.
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