The Delegation of the Committee on Security and Defence participates in the Regional Seminar for Parliamentarians on OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security, which is being held in Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 23 to 25 October 2013.

The introductory speeches at the gathering were held by the following: Head of OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Fletcher M. Burton; member of the Joint Committee on Defence and Security of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mr Krunoslav Vrdoljak; and Special Representative of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly for the South East Europe and Representative of OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre Mr Fabian Grass.   

Colonel Prasenjit Chaudhuri, Head of Swiss Verification Unit and Deputy Head of Euro-Atlantic Security Cooperation; Lieutenant Colonel Detlef Hempel, Coordinator for the Code of Conduct and Military Advisor of the OSCE Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany; Mr Fabian Grass, Representative of OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre; and Ms Sanja Ćatibović, Representative of OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina spoke on the basic structure and contents of the Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security, its implementation, sharing of experiences and the role of parliaments in this process.   

The Chairperson of the Committee on Security and Defence Mr Mevludin Nuhodžić held a speech titled “Supervision over the Security and Defence Sector” and he pointed out that only clearly defined competencies and the balance between functionality and responsibility of relevant bodies and institutions in this sector were a guarantee of stability at the national, regional and international level.

“Implementation of the commitments determined by the law, discussion at the Committee meetings and a proactive approach of the members of this working body on the current issues are a clear indicator of the legal solution, understanding of the said field, as well as joint work on finding optimal solutions”, pointed out Mr Nuhodžić.

In continuation, the Chairperson of the Committee pointed out that honouring of principles of OSCE’s Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security were also incorporated in the legal provisions, especially keeping in mind that the security was indivisible, and that the only way for ensuring peace, security and most importantly observing human rights and freedoms was through continuous communication and dialogue with all relevant subjects in defence and security sector and promotion of cooperation at the national and international level.

Finally, the Chairperson Nuhodžić highlighted the importance of monitoring the implementation of conclusions of the Committee and analysis of the implementing of activities, which were being conducted in continuity, and which represented the prerequisite of effectiveness, functionality and comprehensive progress in implementation of the parliamentary oversight over the work of the defence and security sector.  

Within discussion on the topic of parliamentary oversight over the defence and security budget, a member of the Committee Mr Obrad Mišo Stanišić presented the experiences of the Committee in this field, and highlighted the importance of defining priorities in the field of defence and security at the domestic and foreign policy in order to avoid budget cuts in this sector and reduce the possibility for occurrence of new security challenges.

“In accordance with the above, we need to persevere on our path of the Euro-Atlantic integration because becoming a part of the collective security system represents a long-term solution of the largest part of problems in this field, and therefore also the rational and sustainable funding”, highlighted Mr Stanišić.

The gathering is organised by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with the Joint Committee on Defence and Security of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina and OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, with support of RACVIAC, DCAF and NATO headquarters in Sarajevo.

The Chairperson and the Members of the Committee on Security and Defence Mr Mevludin Nuhodžić, Mr Obrad Mišo Stanišić and Mr Velizar Kaluđerović are participating in the work of the gathering.