Joint statement of the States Parties to the Agreement on Sub-Regional Arms Control on the occasion of 30th anniversary of the signing of the agreement

The 15th Review Conference of the Subregional Arms Control Agreement was held in Vienna on 16 June 2026 under the chairmanship of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Parties to the Agreement—Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Serbia—assessed that the Agreement, signed on 14 June 1996 in Florence, has made an exceptional contribution to establishing a military balance and enhancing security and stability in the subregion over the 30 years of its implementation. This is evidenced by the destruction of more than 10,000 pieces of weapons limited by the Agreement, as well as the implementation of 529 missions, including a total of 843 inspections and 129 reduction inspections. Over the course of three decades, the number of inspection sites has been reduced several times from the initial 254 to the current 78 sites, and the number of inspection quotas has also been reduced. Approximately 1,300 assistants and over 280 guest observers from 30 OSCE participating States and the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre participated in the inspections.

The fact that the Agreement has been continuously implemented for three decades in a spirit of mutual respect, trust and cooperation confirms its importance as an arms control mechanism in this part of Europe and clearly demonstrates the commitment of the Parties to its continued consistent implementation.

The successful implementation of the Agreement following the transfer of ownership in 2015 is the result of the dedicated efforts of the Parties, their political will and high level of professionalism by the institutions responsible for implementing the obligations under the Agreement. An extraordinary success has been achieved, one that is widely recognized as an effective model of post-conflict recovery and restoration of cooperation. In this context, the modernization of the Agreement is considered important for maintaining its relevance and adapting it to contemporary requirements.

The Parties to the Agreement expressed their gratitude to the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, RACVIAC - the Centre for Security Co-operation, the Contact Group countries, as well as to all OSCE participating States for their continuous monitoring and support of the successful implementation and promotion of the Agreement.