The 52nd Meeting of the Multinational Advisory Group (MAG) took place on 15th October 2024 in RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation in Croatia.
The Meeting was organized under the chairmanship of the Republic of Türkiye and was chaired by Ambassador İlhan Saygılı, MAG Chairperson, Director General for the Balkans and Central Europe in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye. It was marked by fruitful discussions on the Centre’s progress, future objectives, and the security challenges currently facing South-Eastern Europe.
After the Opening and Adoption of the Agenda, RACVIAC Director H.E. Ambassador Constantin – Mihail Grigorie gave a reflection on the Director’s Interim Report which provided MAG participants with relevant information and highlight RACVIAC achievements during the reported period.
Ambassador Grigorie expressed deep gratitude to the Republic of Türkiye and Ambassador İlhan Saygılı for their exemplary leadership and successful Chairmanship and also for the warm hospitality during the April 2024 meeting in Istanbul.
He warmly welcomed the Republic of Albania and Ambassador Ardiana Hobdari, who will assume the role of MAG Chairperson for 2024/2025, commending Albania’s commitment to leading RACVIAC into another productive phase of regional cooperation and dialogue. Ambassador Grigorie noted that Albania’s chairmanship is expected to build on Türkiye’s successful tenure and continue fostering meaningful progress for the organization.
Director of RACVIAC took the opportunity to emphasize the organization’s resilience and continued focus on promoting security and cooperation in the region. He reported that, in a climate of uncertainty and global security challenges, RACVIAC has implemented 17 out of the 26 planned activities for the year, surpassing participation numbers compared to previous years.
In addition to official RACVIAC activities, Center has persistently worked to enhance visibility and engagement with our Associate Members and international partners, thereby improving the quality of our operational endeavors. In that regard, the Director conducted meetings and discussions with prominent government officials, including Ministers of Defense, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, and other senior representatives from Albania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, and Hungary. These meetings reaffirmed strong support for RACVIAC’s initiatives.
RACVIAC’s participation in this year’s Antalya Diplomacy Forum, along with the 25th Anniversary of SEEBRIG, reaffirms the importance of our organization as a recognized instrument in fostering dialogue and promoting regional cooperation among our Members and partners.
Among the key achievements of 2024, Ambassador Grigorie emphasized the critical importance of RACVIAC partnership with NATO, particularly in relation to the “Gender Training of Trainers (GToT) Course” for the Jordanian Armed Forces, organized upon NATO’s request. This milestone was marked during the September GToT Course, i.e. the 10th anniversary of RACVIAC leadership in providing solutions in gender perspectives training. Building on this, RACVIAC Mobile Education and Training Team is conducting a similar course for the Tunisian Armed Forces and has received a request from the Irish Defense Forces regarding future collaboration.
Among RACVIAC’s activities conducted outside its headquarters, noteworthy events include the Dayton Art IV Course in Budva, Montenegro, Annual Meeting of Defense and Security Committees from South-Eastern European Parliaments in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the recently conducted Workshop on Cyber and Hybrid Threats and Challenges in South East Europe in Tirana, Albania. RACVIAC expresses gratitude to its Member countries for hosting these events, demonstrating strong support for the Center.
RACVIAC has also made strides in nuclear security, collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy to address nuclear risks through initiatives like the “Insider Threats Roundtable”. He announced that U.S. DTRA has begun exploring the introduction of Counterproliferation Training into the RACVIAC Programme, with Romania set to host the first Plenary Conference on the Counterproliferation Training Initiative in February 2025.
In addition to RACVIAC continued efforts in nuclear security and defense cooperation, Ambassador Grigorie noted the revival of the “Annual Meeting of Defense and Security Committees from South-Eastern European Parliaments”, held in Sarajevo after a five-year hiatus, with encouraging signals from the Croatian Parliament to host the event in 2025.
Ambassador Grigorie expressed particular pride in RACVIAC work on energy security, highlighting the seminar “Strengthening Energy Security in the EU’s Neighbouring South-Eastern Countries,” supported by Romania.
Among RACVIAC’s activities conducted outside its headquarters, noteworthy events include the Dayton Art IV Course in Budva, Montenegro, Open Skies Treaty Course in Hungary, Annual Meeting of Defense and Security Committees from South-Eastern European Parliaments in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the recently conducted Workshop on Cyber and Hybrid Threats and Challenges in South East Europe in Tirana, Albania.
Looking ahead, RACVIAC strategic focus remains on long-term projects, including the upcoming flagship event in 2025 on “Critical Infrastructure Protection Strategies” and emerging fields like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and national security investigations. RACVIAC has formalized new partnerships with the Euro-Atlantic Resilience Center from Romania and the U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation, enhancing its capacity in critical infrastructure protection.
Director highlighted RACVIAC growing collaboration with academic institutions, such as the University of Zagreb and the Croatian Defence Academy.
He called on all Members and Associate Members to continue providing essential support, both financially and through seconding personnel, to ensure RACVIAC’s ongoing success.
The Director concluded by expressing his deep appreciation to all Members, Associate Members, and partners for their unwavering support, and acknowledged the invaluable contributions of international staff. He extended special gratitude to the Republic of Croatia, RACVIAC host country, to having the largest representation in the staff and providing exceptional support in terms of infrastructure and all other forms of assistance.
He looked ahead with optimism, noting that RACVIAC will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year—a milestone that will provide an opportunity to reflect on its achievements and renew its commitment to advancing security cooperation in South-Eastern Europe.
The representatives complimented RACVIAC Director and his staff on the continued efforts and expressed their support for the Centre’s work.
Pursuant to the Meeting Agenda, RACVIAC Programme Managers presented the realization of the Programme 2024 and proposed the Programme 2025. This session was aimed at providing detailed information about the Annual Programme for 2025.
Furthermore, the information on the implementation of the organizational structure and a brief overview of the current RACVIAC personnel situation were provided.
Following this presentation Ambassador Saygılı emphasized that staffing RACVIAC with qualified personnel is the key to success and reminded that MAG considered this to be a responsibility of its highest consideration and that the “principle of regional ownership” shall be reflected in a regionally balanced staffing of RACVIAC.
In addition, detailed information on RACVIAC Budget for 2024 as well as the draft Budget plan for 2025 and projections until 2027 were presented.
MAG confirmed Ambassador Ardiana Hobdari, Director of the Directorate of International Organizations in the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania, as the new MAG Chairperson. At the same time, MAG expressed its gratitude to the Republic of Türkiye for the excellent job done during the MAG Chairmanship as well as to Ambassador Ilhan Saygili for his exceptional performance as the MAG Chairperson during the last two MAG Meetings.
Ambassador Saygılıi congratulated on assuming MAG Chairmanship, the third MAG Chairmanship for Albania and closed the 52nd MAG Meeting thanking all the participants for their engagement and contribution.
Following the Adoption of Conclusions, RACVIAC Director gave a crystal plaque to Ambassador İlhan Saygılı as a sign of gratitude for his Chairmanship of the MAG in 2023./2024.
The next MAG Meeting will be held in the Republic of Albania in Mach 2025. The Republic of Albania will consider the proposed date and confirm the exact date and venue of the next MAG Meeting in due course of time.
