The Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Zukan Helez, said in an address to the students of the Department of Security and Peace Studies and the Department of Political Science at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo that BiH will become the 33rd member state of the NATO alliance.
He emphasized that membership in NATO and the European Union (EU) has no alternative. In the complex political and security circumstances prevailing in Europe and the world, only NATO can offer an effective security umbrella for all citizens of our country, he stated.
“I firmly believe that the vast majority of our citizens support the values that we can preserve through NATO membership. The competent political bodies of the state have already declared themselves in favor of this. Finland became the 31st member, and Sweden is currently on hold. I am convinced that we will be the 33rd member of NATO,” said Helez.
Moreover, Helez is convinced that a policy that prioritizes the interests of the entire population of BiH will prevail throughout the country.
Helez was welcomed at the Faculty of Political Sciences by Dean Sead Turcalo, Vice Dean for Student Affairs Elvis Fejzic, Head of the Department of Security and Peace Studies Mirza Smajic, and Head of the Department of Political Science Elmir Sadikovic.
The interlocutors agreed that it is in the common interest to expand mutual cooperation even more and that it could especially come to the fore in the formation of a future military college in BiH, for which there is interest both in the country and abroad.
In his introductory presentation, Helez presented the current challenges facing the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of BiH (AFBiH) today. He also spoke in particular about numerous international meetings in which he participated as Minister of Defense, but also as Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH, and emphasized the importance of the alliance with the United States (U.S.).
Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of successfully voting to increase the military budget and raise the material standard of members of the AFBiH, as well as the completion of the project of a new, very modern military uniform for the AFBiH, as well as the additional purchase of U.S. helicopters.
Helez cited the war in Ukraine and cyber and hybrid threats to BiH as the main security risks, Klix.ba reports.
