Madam Chair,
thank you for organising today’s Security Dialogue on the important topic of the Agreement on Subregional Arms Control derived from Article IV, Annex 1 B of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, an agreement which for thirty years now remains a strong guarantee of peace, security, and broader stability of Western Balkans region. We also welcome the three distinguished speakers to this meeting and thank them for their presentations and sharing their experience of implementing the Agreement form different perspectives.
The Agreement on Subregional Arms Control is an outcome of consistent efforts and unwavering political will of the State Parties to re-build security in the aftermath of a terrible war and a tangible contribution to security and stability in Southeast Europe through maintaining a stable balance of military power in the region. We continue to believe that subregional arms control regime remains relevant for security in the Western Balkans. We congratulate the State Parties for their spirit of cooperation, mutual trust and confidence while implementing and evolving the Agreement.
As High Representative Kaja Kallas and Commissioner Marta Kos underlined in their joint statement on the 30th anniversary of the General Framework Agreement for peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina in December last year, “the Dayton Peace Accords brought an end to one of Europe's darkest chapters and secured a peace that endures to this day.” The EU has a long-lasting commitment to supporting peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our military operation, EUFOR Althea, continues to play a key role in assisting the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina in maintaining a safe and secure environment for all its citizens.
We thank Romania, who held the command of EUFOR Althea from January 2025 to January 2026, and wish good luck to Italy, who took over the force command on 21 January 2026.
As you identified in the concept note for today’s meeting, in terms of its arms control aspects, the Agreement does seem to “stand out as an exception at a time when most arms control agreements are in a limbo”. This June will mark 30 years of consistent and uninterrupted implementation of the Agreement on Subregional Arms Control. As such, it has firmly become an integral part of security policy for the region.
A key lesson identified from the implementation of the Agreement is that upholding and building politico-military transparency and trust are essential prerequisites for achieving long term peace and stability.
From 2014 onwards, the States Parties have assumed full ownership of the Agreement implementation. They managed to reduce heavy equipment and Armed forces personnel numbers significantly below the levels prescribed in the Agreement and thereby fostered the conditions for a lasting and sustainable peace. The EU and its Member States have consistently supported the implementation of the Agreement verification activities.
The Agreement has been implemented in close cooperation with OSCE participating States. In this vein, we would highlight and commend the OSCE Secretariat, in particular the work of the Conflict Prevention Centre, which has also been entrusted by the States Parties to coordinate the participation of OSCE guest observers in verification activities from the takeover of ownership onwards.
Madam Chair, today’s Security Dialogue gave us the opportunity to contemplate on the success of the Agreement on Subregional Arms Control that has been in force for three decades and is producing good results. It also gave us the opportunity to reflect on lessons learned and challenges for the future, topics that merit revisiting in this Forum.
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Republic of Moldova, San Marino, Serbia and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.
Thank you.