The Ministers of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Indonesia, Zukan Helez and Syafrie Syamsuddin, held a meeting in Sarajevo today, confirming their strong commitment to further strengthening defense cooperation between the two countries.
Minister Helez emphasized that Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world and ranks among the ten most powerful military forces globally.
“We discussed several important topics today, and one of the key issues is the establishment of a resident military attaché, as until now the military attaché from Belgrade covered Bosnia and Herzegovina as well. We also have cooperation in the field of the special-purpose industry, and we will visit Pretis in Vogošća. We concluded that our special-purpose industry is among the best in the world, with a long tradition, and that our engineers and experts can transfer valuable knowledge to Indonesia’s defense industry,” Helez said.
He highlighted that the most significant outcome of the meeting was the initiation of formal military bilateral cooperation, which resulted in the signing of a joint statement by the two ministers on starting the process of drafting a document on military cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Indonesia.
“Peace has no alternative. We also discussed global security issues, including the situation in Ukraine and Russia, as well as the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, which is important both for them and for us and must be resolved peacefully. We expect final peace in Gaza, and I believe that the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Indonesian forces could have a mission there under the auspices of the United Nations, jointly helping the people of Gaza and contributing to its recovery. Despite the great distance, we continue to strengthen cooperation between our two countries,” Helez said.
Indonesian Defense Minister Syamsuddin noted that this visit represents a return visit, as Minister Helez was a guest in Indonesia last year.
“Today we had a productive and constructive meeting, and we confirmed mutual respect and the shared commitment of both countries to continue strengthening bilateral defense cooperation,” Syamsuddin said.
He added that the two sides exchanged views on regional and global security dynamics and agreed that defense cooperation is an important pillar for maintaining peace and stability and for building trust between nations.
“Indonesia remains committed to building partnerships based on mutual trust, respect for sovereignty and shared interests. We believe that today’s meeting is an important step toward achieving stronger and long-term cooperation between our two countries,” Syamsuddin said.
He stressed that Indonesia is open to further strengthening defense cooperation and that the ministers discussed the possibility of establishing a structured framework for cooperation, including the development of a memorandum of understanding as the basis for sustainable and mutually beneficial collaboration.
“We agreed to gradually develop cooperation that should lead to the signing of a cooperation agreement. We will also encourage practical cooperation through education, dialogue, information exchange, capacity building and other forms of engagement. We believe that this process will help us build trust and contribute to the sustainability of peace in the world,” Syamsuddin concluded.
At the end of the meeting, the two ministers signed a joint statement initiating the process of establishing military bilateral cooperation, emphasizing that peace has no alternative and that this cooperation will contribute to global stability and trust, Fena writes.
