On the last day of his official visit to the United States, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Minister of Defense of BiH Zukan Helez today led the largest delegation from Bosnia and Herzegovina to date to visit the federal state of Maryland.
The delegation consisted of the Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and two federal ministers, representatives of universities from Bosnia and Herzegovina, clinical centers, the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH, representatives of local communities, as well as representatives of the private sector.
“At the highest level, we held meetings with the Secretary of State of Maryland Susan Lee, ministers from the federal government of Maryland, and the Commander of the Maryland National Guard, Major General Janeen Birckhead,” said Helez.
He added that he was proud of the partnership between BiH and Maryland, which has lasted for more than two decades, and that thanks to this partnership, the Armed Forces of BiH have undergone significant modernization and equipment acquisition.
“On the 20th anniversary of our partnership, we have taken the first concrete steps to expand our long-standing military cooperation to the civilian sector. We have established the Maryland-BiH Exchange Council, with the clear goal of coordinating and developing cooperation in the fields of economy, education, health and culture,” Helez emphasized.
The crowning achievement of these efforts was today’s session, at which the delegation members presented their programs and initiatives, and Minister Helez was particularly pleased that specific forms of cooperation between institutions and partners had already been agreed upon.
“The United States of America is our long-standing key partner and friend, it is time for our economic cooperation to be at that level. We continue to build bridges of cooperation and open new doors for future generations, because only by working together can we ensure a more stable and prosperous future for all,” said Helez, according to a statement from the Public Relations Office of the Ministry of Defense of BiH.
