The Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zukan Helez, together with the Deputy Minister for Policy and Planning Slaven Galić, visited the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in London today.
Helez and Galić discussed with high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Defense of the UK about the modalities of expanding bilateral military cooperation between BiH and the UK and the further development of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of BiH. On the first day of the visit, at the headquarters of the UK Ministry of Defence, Minister Helez and Deputy Galić met with Chief Operations Officer Nina Cope, followed by a meeting with Procurement and Project Implementation Director Caroline Broughton.
The interlocutors concluded that the bilateral military cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the UK is at an enviable level and that it should be expanded, especially in the field of joint training and exercises of the armed forces of the two countries. Helez emphasized that the United Kingdom is among the key partners in BiH’s progress towards membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He especially pointed out that Bosnia and Herzegovina’s path towards Euro-Atlantic integration is unquestionable, as it is defined by all the state’s strategic documents.
In particular, they discussed Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the further development of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with an emphasis on the intensification of the process of equipping and training members of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina according to NATO standards, i.e. their training for new technological challenges.
They also discussed the issue of the public procurement process, as well as more effective disposal of surplus military assets, which could contribute to improving the operational efficiency of the BiH defense system.
Around noon, there was a meeting with the Director for Euro-Atlantic Security at the UK Ministry of Defense Clare Cameron, where they discussed current security-political aspects in Europe and the Western Balkans region.
The interlocutor expressed support for the further extension of the EUFOR mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Minister Helez emphasized the importance of increasing the number of EUFOR members as a deterrent against possible larger security threats. Clare Cameron also announced that UK aid within the package for strengthening the defense capabilities (DCB) of Bosnia and Herzegovina will reach one million pounds.
Later in the day, Minister Helez will also meet with the Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Stuart Peach, in his capacity as the Deputy Chairperson of the BiH Council of Ministers.
Minister Helez and Deputy Minister Galić are on a multi-day visit to London at the invitation of the UK Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Clarion Defense & Security agency, which organizes the DSEI international military industry fair, which is being held this week in the UK capital. The BiH delegation includes the military envoy of BiH to the UK, Brigadier Nebojša Janković, as well as the head of the Cabinet of the Minister of Defense of BiH, Salko Beba.
