Members of the Joint Committee for Defence and Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina held a meeting with the commander and the newly appointed commander of the NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo

Chair of the Joint Committee for Defence and Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina Jasmin Imamović and member of the Joint Commission Zdenko Ćosić held a meeting today with the commander of the NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo, Brigadier General Pamela McGah and the newly appointed commander of the NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo, Brigadier General Matthew A. Valas, who will take over the position of commander of NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo on Friday, May 10, 2024.

The members of the Joint Committee thanked General McGaha for her commitment in her work to support and preserve peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as for the cooperation and partnership with the members of the Joint Committee for Defence and Security of BiH.

Pointing out that they highly appreciate the activities of the NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo, especially in terms of building the capacity of the Armed Forces of BiH (AFBiH), and the training of the AFBiH members, which gave good results and helped in the successful implementation of the participation of the AFBiH members in peacekeeping missions around the world, the members of the Joint Committee especially highlighted the role of General McGaha in the implementation of the study working visit to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the NATO Headquarters in Brussels and the Headquarters of the NATO Supreme Command in Mons, during which important topics related to NATO's activities in the Western Balkans region and Bosnia and Herzegovina were discussed, as well as on the continuation of cooperation between the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and NATO.

The members of the Joint Committee for Defence and Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina wished Brigadier General Matthew Valas welcome and success in his post as Commander of the NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo, and expressed their belief that the cooperation between the Joint Committee and the NATO Headquarters will be successfully continued and further intensified.

Expressing her gratitude to the members of the Joint Committee for their support during her mandate, the Commander of the NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo, Brigadier General Pamela McGaha, said that she attaches immense importance to the work of the Joint Committee in the supervision of the defence and security sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She expressed confidence that her successor, Brigadier General Matthew A. Valas, will also collaborate closely with the members of the Joint Committee.

BiH Parliamentary Military Commissioner Boško Šiljegović also attended the meeting and thanked General McGaha for the cooperation with the Office of the Parliamentary Military Commissioner and for the support of the NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo provided to the Ministry of Defence of BiH and the Armed Forces of BiH. He welcomed General Valas and expressed his belief that cooperation with the NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo will continue with the aim of realizing the competence of the Parliamentary Military Commissioner of BiH and strengthening the protection of human rights of members of the Armed Forces of BiH. (end)