27 May 2026 11:42 UTC · NATO · NATO News · Source · Email X Link

NATO reports Hamilton visits Western Balkans, stresses partnerships

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Hamilton visited Sarajevo, Belgrade and Pristina
NATO emphasized partnerships, KFOR role and joint exercises

TL;DR

Ambassador Kevin Hamilton paid his first official visit to the Western Balkans from 14–22 May 2026, with discussions in Sarajevo, Belgrade and Pristina.
He met Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency member Zeljko Komsic and representatives of Chairman Denis Becirovic and member Zeljka Cvijanovic in Sarajevo.
He discussed NATO-Serbia cooperation and regional stability in Belgrade and attended the first NATO-Serbia joint military exercise at the Borovac training site.
In Pristina he met Kosovo institutions including Albin Kurti, Glauk Konjufca and Ejup Maqedonci, and held talks with EU officials and other international community members.
He underscored NATO’s long-standing partnerships, encouraged use of partnership tools, institutional resilience and increased defence spending, and said KFOR remains vital for regional stability.

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Create an account Reset password Already have an account? Log in From now on you can download videos from our website If you would also like to subscribe to the newsletter and receive our latest updates, click on the button below. Enter the email address you registered with and we will send you a code to reset your password. The password must be at least 12 characters long, no spaces, include upper/lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Click the button to return to the page you were on and log in with your new password. 27 May 2026 2 MIN READ From 14-22 May 2026, Ambassador Kevin Hamilton, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Partnerships, paid his first official visit to the Western Balkans, with discussions in Sarajevo, Belgrade and Pristina. He also attended the first NATO-Serbia joint military exercise. In Sarajevo, he met with member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zeljko Komsic, along with representatives of Chairman Denis Becirovic and member Zeljka Cvijanovic, and with other senior officials. Ambassador Hamilton underscored the importance of NATO’s long-standing partnership with Bosnia and Herzegovina which is based on political dialogue and practical cooperation. He highlighted the strong cooperation between NATO and the European Union, in partnership with BiH institutions and local communities, and said these partnerships remain essential for preserving peace, stability and security. He encouraged national authorities to take full advantage of existing partnership tools and to prioritise their efforts to build institutional resilience and boost defence spending. In Belgrade, the Deputy Assistant Secretary General met with Nevena Jovanovic, State Secretary at Serbia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Colonel Zlatko Bogosavljević, Head of International Military Cooperation at Serbia’s Ministry of Defence, and other senior officials. They discussed NATO-Serbia cooperation, regional stability, and joint training initiatives. In Pristina, Ambassador Hamilton met with representatives of the Institutions in Kosovo, including Albin Kurti, Glauk Konjufca and Ejup Maqedonci. He also had talks with EU officials and other members of the international community. He underscored that NATO’s long-standing engagement in Kosovo through KFOR remains vital for regional stability, dialogue and mutual understanding. Finally, Ambassador Hamilton attended the first NATO-Serbia joint military exercise, at the Borovac training site, in Serbia. He met with Bratislav Gašić, Minister of Defence, alongside other senior military leaders and officials. The Deputy Assistant Secretary General said the exercise was a real demonstration of the benefits that the NATO-Serbia partnership can bring. Link was copied to clipboard

NATO reports Hamilton visits Western Balkans, stresses partnerships

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