”Investing in the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AFBiH) is in the interest of all citizens and peoples of BiH, ” told the Minister of Defense of BiH, Sifet Podzic, on the occasion of marking December 1st – the Day of the AFBiH.
Summing up the year that is coming to an end, Podzic stated that 2021 began with the efforts of the AFBiH on the engineering arrangement of the “Lipa” camp near Bihac when the escalation of the humanitarian crisis in BiH was prevented.
“Thanks to our partners and friends, we can end the year with good news since the Council of the European Peace Fund unanimously approved a donation of ten million euros for the procurement of equipment, motor vehicles for demining and medical support to our demining battalion,” Podzic explained.
He also reminded that this year, without incidents, they ended their seven-year participation in the NATO peacekeeping mission “Resolute Support to Afghanistan”.
“Despite numerous challenges and limited financial resources, the AFBiH is celebrating its 16th birthday with good results. We expect that by 2023 the AFBiH will have an operationally capable battalion of light infantry to participate in NATO-led operations, which will fulfill one of the main goals that we took over on the NATO path, ” Podzic emphasized.
“Simply, investing in the AFBiH is in the interest of all citizensand peoples of BiH. BiH has the right to do so, just like all other countries in our region. Any policy that does not recognize it or make it difficult is directly working against the interest of all citizens of our country, which we equally successfully serve for 15 years now, ” Podzic added.
The Chief of the Joint Staff of the AFBiH, Colonel General Senad Masovic, explained that during these 16 years, the AFBiH has been working on strengthening and developing, and has grown into a respectable military force.
“As the only legal, legitimate, and professional military force of the state of BiH in the past 16 years, by professional and responsible execution of legally determined missions and tasks both in the country and abroad, the AFBiH has gained great trust from the domestic institutions and the population, as well as a significant reputation in the international community, “ Masovic concluded.
