Dubrovnik Forum Congressional Delegation
I recently returned from a Congressional delegation to the annual Dubrovnik Forum in Croatia, where I met with heads of state, foreign ministers, and NATO officials from across Eastern Europe and the Balkans to discuss the serious threats facing this unstable region, particularly Bosnia and Herzegovina. So many Bosnian families call the Saint Louis area home, and I am committed to working with our Bosnian community to advocate for peace and stability in the strategically critical Balkan peninsula. With Russia and its Chinese and Iranian backers sowing violence and conflict across the globe, it is critically important that all U.S. partners take active steps to “protect the peace,” as NATO Deputy Secretary Radmila Shekerinska called it in a bilateral meeting with our delegation, by sharply increasing defense spending to 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Click here to see my meetings during this delegation.
There is no doubt that the United States is facing a deeply dangerous world right now, with conflicts roiling every corner of the globe thanks to years of former President Biden’s weak and ineffectual foreign policy. President Trump is bringing back peace through strength, and I am grateful to him for securing a landmark promise from our NATO allies to spend 5% of their GDPs on defense. As a member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, I have tirelessly pushed our NATO partners to do much more to contribute to our collective security, and this new pledge to greatly increase allied defense spending is a game-changer. However, as I told NATO Deputy Secretary Shekerinska, our efforts do not end here: we must ensure that each NATO partner follows through on its obligations. I look forward to working with President Trump to implement the new 5% of GDP defense spending target and bring about a safer world.
It was an honor to again meet with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Foreign Minister, Elmedin Konakovic, who visited my DC office on his trip to the United States two years ago. We discussed Bosnia’s strong interest in joining Western institutions like NATO and the European Union and its hard work make progress on accession to these organizations. We also discussed the serious political crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina; the most dangerous and severe crisis Bosnia has seen since the horrific war that ended with the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement 30 years ago. I appreciate the Foreign Minister’s support for my legislation, the Upholding the Dayton Peace Agreement Through Sanctions Act, which holds secessionists, corrupt politicians, and other bad actors accountable for recklessly threatening Bosnia’s peace and sovereignty. In the spirit of our “Never Again” promise on the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Accords and the Bosnian Genocide, the time to enact this legislation and secure Bosnia’s stable, prosperous future is now.
In my bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenković, I communicated the urgent need to complete the Southern Gas Interconnection, a natural gas pipeline that will connect Bosnia and Croatia and end Bosnia’s reliance on Russian gas once and for all. Today, Bosnia is completely dependent on Russian gas imports to meet its needs, a point of acute vulnerability that gives Russia even more leverage to exploit dangerous ethnic tensions and generate dysfunction. When the pipeline is complete, Bosnia will be able to import American natural gas instead, insulating Bosnia from Russia’s pernicious influence and helping it move forward into a more stable and prosperous era. I was very clear with the Prime Minister that the pipeline is a top U.S. priority for the region, and Croatia must act as a constructive partner to end the interethnic politics that are delaying this critical project.
We also underlined this message in our meeting with the U.S. Embassy in Croatia. Croatia, as a member of NATO and the most recent state to join the European Union, has the potential to act as a regional stabilizer. Croatia should help other Balkan nations, including Bosnia, follow in its footsteps and join Western institutions like NATO to help break Russia’s influence in the region. From my discussions with our diplomatic team in Croatia, I am confident Congress and the State Department are in lockstep on the importance of the Southern Gas Interconnection, which the Embassy told me will double LNG capacity and secure Bosnia’s energy supply to open the doors to a better future.
It was a pleasure to meet with Igli Hasani, Albania’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Albania is strategically located along the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, and I appreciate its staunch support for the United States and NATO—including hosting NATO’s first air base in the region. Albania, as the target of multiple Iranian cyber-attacks, understands well the grave threat Iran, Russia, North Korea, and China – the new Axis of Evil – pose to the West.
We also heard firsthand from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha how China, Iran, and North Korea are actively supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine. Iran continues to supply drones to Russia, while China takes ever more direct and provocative steps to help the Russian war effort and diminish the impact of sanctions. Meanwhile, North Korea has actually sent troops to fight alongside the Russians in Ukraine. President Trump has offered Putin every opportunity to choose peace, but Russia refuses to engage in good faith. I appreciate President Trump’s efforts to ensure Ukraine can defend itself against Russia, while ramping up pressure on Russia to come to the negotiating table.