PRESS CONFERENCE

Sarajevo, December 15th, 2009.

Press Release

Press Conference after the Conclusion of the U.S. – Adriatic Charter Foreign Ministers Meeting

On December 15th, 2009, Sven Alkalaj, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gordan Jandrokovic, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Croatia, Ilir Meta, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania, Antonio Milososki, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia, Vesko Garcevic, Political Director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Montenegro, and Jonathan M. Moor, Deputy Chief of Mission in the U.S. Embassy to Bosnia and Herzegovina addressed the press following the conclusion of the meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the U.S. – Adriatic Charter.

Minister Alkalaj stated that today's meeting marks the end of BiH's Chairmanship of the U.S. – Adriatic Charter. He congratulated Montenegro on being invited to join NATO’s Membership Action Plan, stressing that BiH welcomes the success of its neighbors because that implies the success of the region as a whole. He underlined that the U.S. – Adriatic Charter is very important in bringing its members closer to NATO, recalling that when the Charter was established six years ago none of its countries were NATO members. „Today, Croatia and Albania are full-fledged Alliance members, while Macedonia is at NATO's door,“ the Minister added. „The current setback due to not receiving NATO's Membership Action Plan (MAP) has not discouraged BiH. It has given us a new strength and a new incentive to work even more diligently in order to fulfill remaining commitments,“ BiH Foreign Minister Sven Alkalaj stated.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Croatia Gordan Jandrokovic stated that today's meeting is yet another confirmation that the Charter is a credible mechanism for regional security and cooperation. He also thanked the U.S. for supporting this form of cooperation. „Croatia strongly supports BiH and Montenegro in their ambitions to become full-fledged NATO members and would also like to see Macedonia there as soon as possible because it has deserved this through the reforms it has conducted,“ Minister Jandrokovic added. He welcomed Montenegro's entry into MAP status and expressed the hope that BiH will also join the membership preparation program as soon as possible. He emphasized that the key to success is in carrying out reforms. Without reforms and compliance with standards, there is no progress towards NATO and the EU.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania Ilir Meta reiterated that his country is willing to transfer its NATO accession experiences. He also expressed the hope that BiH will gain MAP status because it has earned it.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia Antonio Milososki said that today's meeting serves as new proof of BiH's commitment to regional cooperation as well as the U.S. – Adriatic Charter and that all Charter members will pursue BiH's MAP status in the future. „Macedonia, de iure, is still not a member of NATO, although we consider that it de facto is,“ he stated, adding that he is glad Charter members and the U.S. support Macedonia's NATO membership.

Political Director in the MFA of the Republic of Montenegro Vesko Garcevic agreed with Minister Alkalaj's remark that the success of each country in the region is the region’s shared success. He stated that this meeting reaffirms the importance of the Charter because it strengthens and connects countries with shared goals and it is also open to new members. In addition, he stated that he believes stability in the region cannot be achieved until all its countries are integrated into Euro-Atlantic structures.

Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy to BiH Jonathan M. Moore stated that his country strongly supports the Charter as a key mechanism in moving closer to NATO. He thanked all the meeting's participants, but particularly Minister Alkalaj for successfully chairing the U.S. – Adriatic Charter in the past six months. „It is the wish of the U.S. for all Charter states to become NATO members. This would serve everyone in the region and the U.S. is dedicated to this goal,“ Moore said.