SARAJEVO – Chiefs and senior officials of military intelligence from 12 South East European countries, members of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), agreed in Sarajevo today to move forward regional cooperation in the field of intelligence exchange and adopted rules of procedures to put the cooperation in practice.

The Third South East European Military Intelligence Chiefs Conference (SEEMIC) was hosted by the sector for Military Intelligence and security affairs of the Ministry of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina and co-organized with the RCC Secretariat, with support of the European External Action Service (EEAS).

The initiative is a continuation of the First and the Second SEEMIC Conferences, held in Bucharest and Belgrade in 2009 and 2010, respectively. In Belgrade, the military intelligence chiefs signed a statement on cooperation among military intelligence institutions of RCC members from South East Europe.

The signatories agreed to establish and develop cooperation in the field of security threats, and join efforts in improving intelligence sharing at the regional level. The documents adopted today outline the future practical implementation of the stated will for cooperation.

The participants were greeted by Selmo Cikotic, Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jelica Minic, Deputy RCC Secretary General, and Brigadier General Guenther Eisl, Director of the Military Intelligence Directorate, European Union Military Staff, EEAS.

Addressing the event, Minister Cikotic said Bosnia and Herzegovina was pleased to host the 3rd SEEMIC Conference, attended by military and intelligence institutions from RCC members from South East Europe.

”I am convinced that with an intensification and improvement of cooperation in the most sensitive areas important for the overall security of the countries of the region, we send a signal that this region wants to participate actively in building and strengthening European security structure.”

Deputy Secretary General Minic underlined that SEEMIC is one of the most successful initiatives launched under the RCC’s auspices.

“Exchange of high quality intelligence through regional fora, such as the SEEMIC, is important not only for fostering cooperation among intelligence agencies, but also for its broader impact on confidence-building, security, rule of law, and overall economic and social development of the countries of South East Europe.”

The event gathered chiefs and representatives of military intelligence services from twelve South East European countries – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey, the RCC and the European External Action Service.

The statement on cooperation remains open for signature to all the chiefs of military intelligence institutions of the RCC members from South East Europe.

The process of cooperation of the South East European military intelligence chiefs, which began in 2009 with a meeting of the chiefs of military intelligence services in Bucharest, has been realized at the initiative of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and with support of the EEAS/Intelligence Directorate of the European Union Military Staff.

The South East European Military Intelligence Chiefs Conference (SEEMIC) is a forum of high level military intelligence officers from the region that allows for networking, building relationships and strengthening trust as a basis for furthering cooperation in the security area.

The fourth SEEMIC meeting will be hosted by Bulgaria in 2012.