Mr. Chair,
I welcome Ambassador Aggeler back to the Permanent Council and thank him for his presentation and for the comprehensive report. You and your team have shown impressive proficiency and effectiveness, despite the evident challenges created by the absence of a unified budget.
Norway supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina as one State, comprised of two entities and the Brčko District, as well as its multiethnic character.
We are deeply worried about the ongoing undermining of the constitutional and legal order of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Efforts to pursue a new entity constitution is a dangerous attempt to disrupt the state’s legal framework, weakening institutional integrity, and deepening political divisions.
We call upon all political representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina to respect the legal institutions, and to let them do their work without undue pressure.
Mr. Chair,
We thank the Mission for its commitment to Rule of Law, its timely statements and support to state institutions. With increased tensions not only in Bosnia and Herzegovina but also elsewhere in the Balkans, we support renewed OSCE high-level attention on and engagement in the region and encourage these efforts be redoubled.
The Mission’s support to improving the electoral process in Bosnia and Herzegovina is crucial. The Mission’s close cooperation with the Central Election Commission, including on pilots seeking to improve election integrity for the recent local elections, is important. The commitment to intensify these efforts well ahead of the next election cycle in October 2026 in close coordination with ODIHR is commendable.
Mr. Chair,
As donors to the OSCE field operations, it is our responsibility and duty to ensure that they can carry out their work effectively. Providing a sufficient budget is one cornerstone. But field operations are also subjected to the sometimes diverging priorities of participating States. This leads to fragmentation of the project portfolio, and a focus on a list of activities rather than overarching results. We must provide the space required for the field operations to work more efficiently, with long-term impact on the ground as their focus.
Ambassador Aggeler, I thank you for your unwavering leadership in the last two and a half years and wish you and your colleagues in Bosnia and Herzegovina the best of luck in your work. Rest assured of Norway’s continued support.
Thank you.