During the ceremony brigadier general Eric Folkestad, Commander NHQSa, stated:
As a founding member, Norway has been an active participant and valuable partner to NATO since the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington in April 1949.
One of the ways they have continued to show their support has been through the, quite frankly exemplary, succession of officers that have given so much to this Mission over the years.
But, as we have seen with donations of medical supplies to BiH during Covid, including from Norway, NATO is more than a military organization. Members can show their support for the alliance and provide assistance to allies in many different ways.
And so, while our DCOM will no longer be Norwegian, I know that the Mission here in Sarajevo, the armed forces and citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and NATO internationally can continue to rely on Norway's steadfast support and friendship.
Today I want to thank Norway, sincerely, for its contribution to NHQ Sarajevo over the years. But I also know that this is not the end. And I look forward to our continued partnership in supporting reform in BiH.
Photo: NATO Headquarters Sarajevo