The Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Zukan Helez, met on the second day of his official visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan with the State Minister for Defense Industry, Vugar Mustafayev, and the Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijani National Mine Action Agency, Vugar Ahad Suleymanov.
At the beginning of the meeting, Minister Mustafayev presented the defense industry of the Republic of Azerbaijan and praised the defense industry of BiH. He stated that the defense industry in BiH has a long tradition and a strong reputation worldwide and that products from BiH are of high quality and in demand globally.
Minister Mustafayev also expressed interest in several products from BiH’s defense industry.
“We have agreed on concrete steps to improve cooperation between the defense industries of the two countries. Azerbaijan is currently one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, and it is crucial to open the market in this country for defense industry products from BiH,” said Minister Helez.
During the meeting with Chairman of the Board Suleymanov, the interlocutors discussed the demining process in the Republic of Azerbaijan, which is institutionally organized similarly to that in BiH.
After the war for the Nagorno-Karabakh region, 13 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory remained mined.
Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijani National Mine Action Agency, Suleymanov, praised the skills and expertise of BiH’s demining teams. Deminers from BiH are recognized worldwide as leaders in humanitarian demining.
“We have agreed on cooperation between the demining agencies of Azerbaijan and BiH. In the coming period, we expect an official visit from representatives of the Azerbaijani State Mine Action Agency to our country so that we can take concrete steps regarding future cooperation. In past years, relations between Azerbaijan and BiH have been sporadic, and cooperation has been almost nonexistent. The Republic of Azerbaijan is a country rapidly developing thanks to its natural resources. BiH must seek opportunities for economic cooperation with this country while also forging new friendships in the world,” emphasized Helez.
