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SARAJEVO, November 24 (FENA) - The 66th annual session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) ended with the election of US Congressman Gerald E. Connolly as the new NATO PA President.
Members of the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina to NATO PA, Asim Sarajlić and Nikola Lovrinović, also participated in the work of the final plenary session, which was held online this year due to coronavirus pandemic.
The participants in the plenary session were addressed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Hungarian MP Atilla Mesterhazy, who previously served as NATO PA chairman.
According to Secretary Stoltenberg, NATO is the only place where the countries of Europe and North America meet every day.
"NATO must be used even more as a forum for honest discussions on a wide range of security issues," Stoltenberg said.
A Declaration was also adopted in which NATO PA supported the launch of a comprehensive modernization of the Alliance, making it strong and politically united, militarily strong and better equipped to strengthen global peace and stability, the BiH Parliamentary Assembly said.
The NATO PA Declaration calls on the Alliance to update its strategic concept in order to maintain that changed security environment. NATO's strength now and tomorrow lies in its commitment to common values and the transatlantic link, the Declaration said, adding that NATO must adapt to fulfill its core task of collective defense, while defending itself against new threats and challenges.
The Declaration also calls on NATO to strengthen political unity through more regular contacts and meetings, and on NATO governments to reaffirm their commitment to transatlantic unity and shared democratic values.
In a special NATO PA report on the challenges to peace and security in the Western Balkans, prepared by French parliamentarian Jean-Charles Larsonneur, NATO countries were called upon to help intensify talks between Belgrade and Pristina and, as reported, overcome the political stalemate in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
According to the report, which was presented to the NATO PA Committee on Defense and Security, NATO member states and parliamentarians must strengthen cooperation with the Alliance's strategic partners around the world to help strengthen the rule of law in the Western Balkans.
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