Members of the Joint Committee for Defence and Security of BiH and the Joint Committee for the Oversight of the Work of OSA BiH participated in a meeting of the defence and security committees of the parliaments in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Members of the Joint Committee for Defence and Security of BiH, Sredoje Nović, Sanja Vulić, Zdenko Ćosić, and Slavko Matić, as well as the Chair of the Joint Committee for Oversight of the Work of the Intelligence-Security Agency (OSA) of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ilija Cvitanović, and a member that committee, Milorad Kojić, participated today in Banja Luka in a meeting of the defence and security committees of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, and the House of Representatives and the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The topic of the meeting, hosted by the members of the Security Committee of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, was current security situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During the meeting, which was considered particularly useful and necessary for strengthening dialogue and mutual understanding, the current security situation in BiH was deemed satisfactory.

It was noted that the most significant security threats include organized crime and corruption, cybercrime, the migrant crisis, the issue of insufficient number of border police officers, and the going of BiH citizens to foreign battlefields.

Furthermore, it was regretfully acknowledged that hate speech causes a sense of insecurity among citizens, especially young people leaving BiH.

The importance of preventive action by relevant police agencies at all levels to protect every citizen was emphasized.

The significance of harmonizing legal solutions and improving the legal framework for the work of security and police agencies was specially highlighted, along with the continuation of dialogue to strengthen mutual trust and understanding.

Member of the Joint Committee for Defence and Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sredoje Nović, expressed belief that meetings in this format are extremely important in building mutual trust because, as he stated, the security of a country is priceless. Nović emphasized that citizens are rightly concerned about corruption. Therefore, it is necessary to analyse the work of prosecutors and police structures and raise questions about accountability.

Members of the Joint Committee for Defence and Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slavko Matić, Zdenko Ćosić, and Sanja Vulić, also welcomed this format of the dialogue and called for the building of mutual trust and better understanding among parliamentarians at all levels of government.

Strengthening Cybersecurity Capacities of BiH Project and the Small Arms and Light Weapons Project (SALW), implemented by UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina, were presented during the meeting, which was supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. (end)