Chairwoman of the Joint Committee for Defence and Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina Parliamentary Assembly Explores Regional Practices of SALW Control during her Visit to the Republic of Serbian and to Montenegro

At the invitation of SEESAC, the Chairwoman of the Joint Committee for Defence and Security of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ms. Dusanka Majkic, attended a 3-day study visit exploring regional practices of SALW control. During the 3-day visit, Ms. Majkic held meetings with a number of executive and legislative branch institutions in both Serbia and Montenegro. 

On the first day of her visit, Ms. Majkic spoke to the representatives of SEESAC, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Serbia (RS), and to the National Coordinator for Small Arms and Light Weapons of the Ministry of Interior of RS, Mr. Miljko Simovic. The meetings centered on: the existing weapons and military equipment surpluses, the state of military weapons storage facilities, and the collection process of illegal weapons in civilian possession.

During the second day of the visit, Ms. Majkic exchanged information and discussed parliamentary practice with her counterparts in the Parliament of the Republic of Serbia – the Chairman of the Defense and Internal Affairs Committee, Mr. Dusan Bajatovic, and the Chairwoman of the Security Services Control Committee, Ms. Jadranka Joksimovic. In addition to the issue of arms and military equipment export/import/transit control, the Chairs also discussed the future cooperation in the field of parliamentary oversight of the defense and security sectors, organized crime and corruption.

Ms. Majkic used the occasion to inform her colleagues on the work of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly Investigation Committee, dealing with the verification and control of the processes of destruction of surplus ammunition, mines, weapons and military equipment. 

In addition, the BiH delegation held a meeting with the Director of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, Ms. Sonja Stojanovic, during which modalities for future cooperation between the Committee and BCSP at the regional level were defined.

The second day of the visit was concluded with a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign and Domestic Trade and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia, during which the process of import, export and transit of arms and military equipment was discussed. The meeting was hosted by Ms. Jasmina Roskic, Head of the Division for Agreements of Bilateral Promotion and Protection of Investments, Concessions and Foreign Trade in Controlled Goods.

The third day of the study visit was devoted to Montenegro. The BiH Delegation visited Podgorica, Montenegro, and met with the representative of the Committee for Security and Defence of the Parliament of Montenegro, Mr. Obrad Miso Stanisic, as well as the Committee Staff. While the aim of the meeting was to continue the practice of information and experience sharing as the basis for regional cooperation between Parliaments, representatives of the two institutions also discussed the Draft Law on Parliamentary Control of the Defense and Security Sector as well as other aspects and prospects of parliamentary control in BiH and in the region.

Finally, with the aim of exploring best-practices in SALW reduction, Ms. Majkic met with the Deputy Minister for Material Resources at the Ministry of Defence of Montenegro, Col. Rifet Kosovac, who presented the joint MoD, OSCE and UNDP program for destruction of small arms and light weapons in Montenegro - "MONDEM."

The study visit was organized within the framework of the "SALW Control in the Western Balkans" Programme, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway.