Sub-Regional arms control Article IV of Dayton Peace Agreement, essential to peace and stability in the region, marks 25th anniversary

VIENNA, 14 June 2021 - Today marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of Article IV of the Dayton Peace Agreement, a sub-regional arms control arrangement, established to reduce the number of weapons to the level agreed to between Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia.

Four State Parties to the Agreement met today, hosted by the Government of Serbia, the current Chair of the Sub-Regional Consultative Commission.

“The Article IV Agreement and the OSCE share an exemplary history, setting the objective of establishing new forms of co-operation in the field of security,” said Tuula Yrjölä, Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre. “We aimed at building transparency and confidence, balanced and stable defense force levels, avoiding an arms race in the region. We succeeded.”

Since 2014, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and Serbia have full responsibility for regional stability and arms control, essential for building peace and stability in the region.

“The States Parties continued their successful co-operation at the highest level of professionalism and commitment,” said Yrjölä. “While the compulsory weapons reduction was completed in the first years, the process of reduction on a voluntary basis below the agreed thresholds has continued to the present day. The inspection regime remains the core instrument supporting the implementation process.”

During the Agreement’s implementation, 10,292 weapons have been destroyed and 476 missions, 776 inspections and 129 reduction inspections have been conducted. The number of inspection facilities and the number of inspection quotas have been reduced. Almost 1,300 assistants and 140 guest observers from 29 OSCE participating States have participated in the inspections.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 was the first year in which there were no inspections by the States Parties to the Agreement. However, video meetings were held to reach an agreement on further action and maintain the achieved level of transparency.

OSCE’s Conflict Prevention Centre, in a supportive role to the States Parties, continues to raise awareness about the implementation of the Agreement within the international community.

“The Article IV agreement reflects many of the core values of the OSCE and our work in the politico-military dimension,” said Yrjölä. “The recognition that stability and peace can only be ensured in the long-term through building confidence and security is both the bottom line of Article IV, as well as the red thread that runs through our work in OSCE’s first dimension.”

A virtual photo-exhibition dedicated to the process implementation opened today. Distinguished individuals and partner organizations were awarded for their contribution to the Agreement’s implementation.