Sarajevo, 20 March 2017 – A meeting of legislators from NATO member and partner countries is set to open in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Tuesday 21 March.
The three-day meeting will discuss prospects for EU and NATO enlargement in the Western Balkans, intra-regional relations and internal political developments in the context of challenges coming from the unstable Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The event is organised by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) in cooperation with the parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina and with the generous support of the Swiss Government.
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s senior officials, including chairman of the Presidency Mladen Ivanic, Prime Minister Denis Zvizdic, speakers of both houses of the parliament Sefik Dzeferovic and Barisa Colak, Minister of Defence Marina Pendes, Minister of Security Dragan Mektic and speaker of the parliament of Republika Srpska Nedeljko Cubrilovic, will address the participants. Delegates will also hear from NATO and the EU representatives and independent experts. Prof. Florian Bieber from Centre for Southeast European Studies, University of Graz, will make the keynote presentation.
The event is entitled “The Western Balkans: Transition Challenges, European Aspirations and Links to the MENA Region” and it is the 94th NATO PA Rose-Roth Seminar, organised jointly with the meeting of the NATO PA Mediterranean and Middle East Special Group. The seminar will bring together over 170 participants, including 84 members of parliament from 36 NATO member states and partner countries.
The NATO PA has held 20 Rose-Roth Seminars in the Western Balkans since the beginning of the programme in 1991. This is the fourth one held in Sarajevo. The key objective of Rose-Roth Seminars is to facilitate dialogue on regional security matters among legislators from NATO and partner nations.
The NATO PA President Paolo Alli (Italy) will also hold bilateral meetings with the leadership of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 22-23 March.
