A meeting of the high delegation of the Embassy and the Ministry of Security of the Czech Republic in Bosnia and Herzegovina was held on Monday in Bihać with the representatives of the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the directors of the entity administrations of civil protection. The meeting was attended by Samir Agić, BiH Assistant Minister of Security for Protection and Rescue, Prime Minister of the Una-Sana Canton Nijaz Hušić, Director of the Cantonal Administration of Civil Protection of the Una-Sana Canton Dževad Livaković and the Mayor of Bihać Elvedin Sedić.
The main topic of the meeting was the expert assistance of the Czech Republic to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the activities of removing residual mines and explosive devices in rivers. The cooperation between the two countries in the area of demining has been going on for 12 years, and is focused on cleaning rivers and lakes, from which large quantities of various lethal agents have been removed during that period.
“I am very grateful to Ambassador Šindelkova and my colleagues from the Una-Sana Canton, as well as the Prime Minister and the Mayor, for tying us into the work system of operational units in the field. We saw how colleagues from the Czech Republic, Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina work together,” said Samir Agić, Assistant Minister of Security of BiH for Protection and Rescue.
In the past few days, joint diving teams from the Czech Republic and Bosnia and Herzegovina cleaned the Klokot river in Bihać, where 50 pieces of dangerous ammunition and weapons were recovered. These activities are part of a long-term cooperation that began with an agreement between the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Government of the Czech Republic, and the cleaning of rivers, including the Una River, has been ongoing since 2016.
The leader of the Czech diving team, Colonel Petar Micek, emphasized the importance of this project for the safety of the local population.
“We are doing this activity together with colleagues from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and so far we have removed 54 pieces of dangerous ammunition and weapons. We still have a lot of work ahead of us to remove residual mines and explosives in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Micek said.
This long-term cooperation is a continuation of efforts to reduce risks for local communities in BiH, especially in areas affected by mines and other explosive devices after the war.
