The Deputy Minister of Defense in the Council of Ministers of BiH, Mirko Okolić, stated that the Armed Forces of BiH will not participate in the peacekeeping mission in Iraq, as previously announced.
Okolic said that on December 14 last year, the North Atlantic Alliance approved BiH’s potential operational partnership for the NATO-led mission in Iraq.
“That act reached us through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently, that is, on July 26 this year. With this Decision, NATO only makes it known that we can be a partner if BiH makes such a decision, and that is why it is emphasized – potentially “, explained Okolić.
According to him, NATO is also aware that such a decision requires a consensus and that it is made by the Presidency of BiH.
“It is clear from this that the decision on the participation of the BiH Armed Forces in the NATO-led mission in Iraq is by no means possible without the Serbian member of the BiH Presidency, Milorad Dodik, whose position on this issue is clear,” Okolic said.
According to media reports, the head of BiH’s mission to NATO has been informed that BiH has been approved to be an operational partner for NATO in Iraq.
The Ministry of Defense in the Council of Ministers was also informed about this.
“On behalf of the Deputy Secretary General for Operations, I am pleased to inform you that the North Atlantic Council has approved BiH’s status as an operational partner of the NATO mission in Iraq,” said a letter from Morten Henriksen, NATO Deputy Secretary General.
