16 April 2010

Mr. Sven Alkalaj, Minister of the Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina has participated in the Open Debate of the UN Security Council

On April 16th, 2010, in New York, Mr. Sven Alkalaj, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, participated in the Open debate of the UN Security Council on the theme: “Post Conflict Peace Development: A Comprehensive Strategy of the Peace Development for Preventing the Conflict from Recurrence”. On the margins of the Debate, Minister Alkalaj had a working bi-lateral meeting with Mr. Katsuyo Okada, Minister of the Foreign Affairs of Japan, and he also met with the UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki –Moon, as well as with present ministers and with representatives of the UN Security Council’s permanent member countries.

Minister Alkalaj, participated at the Minister-level Debate to the invitation of Mr. Chairman – the Japanese Minister of the Foreign Affairs, Mr. Katsuyo Okada. The Debate on the aforementioned theme has been proposed by Japan which is presiding with the UN Security Council for the month of April and was supported by all members of the UN Security Council due to its importance in sense of necessity of observing all aspects of the UN Peace Keeping forces’ engagements throughout the world within the framework of improving their mandates which would enable the peace assurance and post-conflict development of stable societies with a goal of further peace and stability strengthening in the whole world which is the basic task of the UN Security Council.

In the course of his presentation, Minister Alkalaj emphasized how B&H is the country that has gone a hard journey since the post-war peace and security development that has been accomplished also with engagement of the UN Peace Keeping Missions in our country till nowadays when B&H itself is an active participant in the UN Peace Keeping Missions as well as in peace development processes in other parts of the world and a valid member country of the Security Council. In that regard, Minister Alkalaj stressed out the importance of a comprehensive integrated approach to planning and implementing the process of post-war peace and stability development in which all interested parties should be actively involved including local authorities, donor countries, those countries whose military and police forces are participating in the UN Peace Keeping Missions in peace development, international financial institutions, private and civil sectors.

Emphasizing the necessity for the UN and International Community to focus more vigorously on preventing measures and diplomatic efforts with a goal of preventing future conflicts and thus avoiding, in the best possible manner, human tragedies, destruction of economy and infrastructure and thereby the need for a long-term, expensive and in most cases very demanding process of post-conflict peace development, Minister Alkalaj has expressed the readiness on the part of Bosnia and Herzegovina to share, within the scope of its activities in the UN, its experience and  knowledge in all those situations where it is needed since our country has gone through all the phases of that process, which has been welcomed by all the present there.

On the margins of Debate, Minister Alkalaj met with the UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, Mr. Zalmai Rasool, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation with the UN, the Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, and with other permanent representatives of the Security Council member countries. Also, on the margins of the Open Debate of the Security Council, the bi-lateral working meeting was held between Minister Alkalaj and the Chairman of the UN Security Council’s Session, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Mr. Katsyo Okada.

In the course of the meeting Ministers Alkalaj and Okada have exchanged their opinions on the Security Council’s activities and on conclusions of the Open Debate. It has been decided that the past successful cooperation between B&H and Japan within the framework of the UN Security Council should be improved through activities of diplomatic missions of both countries with the UN and within the scope of all issues which are on the Security Council’s agenda including a more extensive multilateral cooperation and strengthening of comprehensive bi-lateral relations between Japan and B&H.

Minister Alkalaj informed Minister Okada on the current situation in B&H and in the region too, stressing out meeting the most important foreign policy priorities for B&H in this moment, and they are, above all, the completion of the visa regime liberalization with the Schengen countries, attaining the MAP status for NATO and submitting the application for the EU membership. Minister Alkalaj also emphasized the importance which B&H dedicates to regional cooperation and to solving open issues with neighbors, and in reference to this he informed Minister Okada on both the results and goals of numerous tri-lateral meetings on the level of foreign ministers (B&H – Turkey – Serbia and B&H – Turkey – Croatia) that have been held lately and which are going to be held again in the coming period.

Minister Okada has expressed great interest for the situation both in B&H and region by registering full Japanese support to the efforts done by B&H in meeting the aforementioned priorities as well as for the comprehensive foreign policy activities of our country within the regional and international frameworks.