"Under the auspices of the German Federal Foreign Office, European Union and the Regional Cooperation Council, SEESAC organized a High-level Regional Meeting of the Deputy Ministers of Interior and Foreign Affairs from Tirana, Sarajevo, Pristina, Chisinau, Podgorica, Belgrade and Skopje on 1 February 2018 in Podgorica, Montenegro.

The meeting reiterated an explicit political commitment of all actors in the region towards reinforced small arms control and non-proliferation that was confirmed through the adoption of a Joint Statement. Moreover, recognizing that the proliferation and illicit trafficking of firearms and their ammunition is a persistent threat for the internal security, the authorities of the region committed to develop a Roadmap for a sustainable solution to the illegal possession, misuse and trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW)/firearms and their ammunition in the Western Balkans (Roadmap).

The purpose of this Roadmap is to serve as a guiding and consensual document developed and owned by the regional authorities, in achieving a sustainable solution to the illegal possession, misuse and trafficking of SALW/firearms, and its ammunition, in the Western Balkans. This document is a testimony of the consensus reached among all stakeholders in the region about the current challenges, the overall targets to be reached, and timeline of actions to be taken. It provides an overall platform for commonly agreed levels of performance, and outlines the commitment required at the strategic, policy and operational level amongst the beneficiaries, building on the political commitment to the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects as well as legal obligation stemming from the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition (The Firearms Protocol)."

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