UNDP SEESAC invited to take part in the Meeting of South Eastern Europe Defense Ministers (SEDM)

This year’s South Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) was held on 3 October 2012 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and gathered 100 participants from 14 countries members of SEDM, observers and representatives from UNDP SEESAC, NATO HQ Brussels, RACVIAC , RCC and SEEBRIG.

In his opening remarks Mr. Muhamed Ibrahimovic, Minister of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina  highlighted that the regional approach to security, stability and prosperity is much more effective than the individual one.

„We hope that this meeting will enhance the efficiency of regional cooperation and our joint efforts in approaching common objective, the Euro-Atlantic Integration of the entire Region“, said Minister Ibrahimovic.

The Chairman of SEDM Mr. Gianluigi Magri said that the region is not immune to security risks and other changes and challenges in the world, therefore, countries of the South Eastern Europe have to work together in exploring  new responses to these challenges, including development of military and international organizations.

The South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial is an initiative launched in 1996 for the purpose of boosting the cooperation of the South-Eastern Europe countries. The aim of the SEDM meeting is to analyze existing mechanisms of the defense regional cooperation and to synchronize regional initiatives in the South East  Europe in order to increase efficiency and save resources. The SEDM member states are: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United States, while Georgia and Moldova have the status of observers.