Jun 9 2021

14TH CONFERENCE OF THE BALKANS CHIEFS OF DEFENSE AND GENERAL STAFF

Many of the security challenges BiH faces demand an international response. NATO's allies and partners work together as a whole, but also in smaller groups, to tackle these challenges.

This week BiH has hosted the 14th Conference of the Balkans Chiefs of Defense and General Staff – which aims to improve and strengthen cooperation and military interoperability across the region. All of the countries in the so-called B9 (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Greece, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey, are all either NATO partners or allies).

Throughout the conference NATO Headquarters Sarajevo hosted numerous distinguished guests, keen to show their support for the mission and for strengthening NATO's relationship with BiH.

Photo: NATO Headquarters Sarajevo

These included separate visits by the Turkish, Romanian and French Chiefs of the Defence Staff, who were welcomed to Butmir with official arrival ceremonies, before being briefed by General Folkestad and the team.

Dignitaries from more senior commands in the NATO structure also visited

Photo: NATO Headquarters Sarajevo

These included the Chair of NATO's Military Committee – NATO's senior military officer- Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach. The Chair of the Military Committee is tasked with providing advice, based on the consensus of the Chiefs of Defence of NATO's 30 allies to the Secretary General and other political decision making bodies of NATO.

During his visit the Air Chief Marshal emphasized the importance of working, learning, training and deploying together – to avoid misunderstandings, find common solutions and to professionally enrich and improve the capabilities of all our militaries to protect us.

The Deputy Chief of Staff from SHAPE (the military part of NATO) and the Deputy Commander from Joint Force Command Naples – which oversees the work of NHQSa – also visited and received updates on the mission.