Delegation of NATO Parliamentary Assembly with BiH officials on key security challenges and NATO integration process of our country

During the meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Security of BiH, attended by chairman of the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of BIH in PA NATO Nikola Lovrinović, security minister Dragan Mektić said that problems of radicalism, violent extremism and terrorism are key security challenges that our country is currently facing.

Minister Mektić has briefed the NATO parliamentarians with the fact that the BiH with Criminal Code amendments made criminally punishable the participation and inciting the participation of BiH citizens in the paramilitary and terrorist organizations on foreign battlefields, and stressed that the country will process and prosecute all such cases. 

According to Mektić, the national judicial and police authorities, who have zero tolerance for terrorism, are implementing national strategy for preventing and combating terrorism, which except to measures of repression, include preventive measures for deradicalisation of individual, which are carried out by representatives of religious communities, educational institutions, civil society organizations and media.

Minister Mektić said that BiH, with the support of the European Union (EU), launched a regional initiative to combat terrorism and the smuggling of weapons from the Western Balkans. The aim of this initiative, said Mektić is to establish a regional database of persons who pose a security threat to all countries in the region, the EU and NATO, the creation of a regional network of prosecutors and investigative teams, as well as networks for investigation and cutting channels for smuggling weapons from the Western Balkans.
Chairman of the Commission for NATO integration process Mijo Kresić also addressed to the members of the Delegation of the NATO PA', and spoke about the current process and prospects of Euro-Atlantic integration of our country.

Delegation of NATO PA's, which ends their visit to our country today, will also talk with commanders of NATO - Headquarters in Sarajevo and EUFOR. (End)