On June 30, BiH Deputy Minister of Defense for Resource Management Aleksandar Goganović and Secretary of the BiH Ministry of Defense Muhamed Smajić hosted a delegation of the Political-Military Committee of the Council of the European Union, which visited the location of the BiH Armed Forces “Rajlovac” near Sarajevo.
The delegation of this committee was led by Ivana Michelot Radova, and in the presence of the deputy head of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Major General Ivica Jerkić, the Commander of the Operational Command, Major General Radovan Ilic, and Brigadier Jasmin Čajić, Commander of the Tactical Support Brigade, they were presented with a briefing on the role, mission, tasks and capabilities of Demining battalion of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Deputy Minister Goganović welcomed the guests and informed them about current topics from the defense department.
Goganović informed the delegation of the Political-Military Committee about the current situation in the MoD and the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly referring to the state of the budget for defense institutions, the BiH Reform Program for 2023, cooperation with NATO, the participation of members of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina in peacekeeping missions, the state personnel in the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the process of dealing with surplus weapons, ammunition and mine-explosive means (MiMES).
In his address, deputy Goganović placed a special emphasis on the process of humanitarian demining carried out by members of the Demining Battalion of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and on this occasion he thanked the representatives of the EU Council for the approved 10 + 10 million euros from the European Instrument for Peace, which is specifically intended to strengthen the operational capabilities of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially for the needs of the Demining Battalion of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“This valuable donation will help our deminers to more successfully and professionally realize their legally prescribed tasks in mine countermeasures and thus contribute to a stable and safe environment and increase the level of personal safety and protection of the lives of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said the Deputy Minister of Defense Goganovic.
In his address, Deputy Goganović also spoke about the exceptional cooperation with the EUFOR forces, within the ALTHEA mission, and thanked the members of the board for their support to this mission, which has been working devotedly and reliably for years to preserve a stable and safe environment in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In the conversation, the important role of EUFOR in the process of strengthening the capacities of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina through various forms of assistance and support in training, exercises, joint rescue operations and exchange of experiences and good practices was particularly emphasized.
After the meeting with the leading personnel of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of BiH, the board members were presented with a briefing on the demining battalion, its mission, effects, contribution to the total percentage of demining in BiH, as well as future plans and challenges facing this valuable unit of the Armed Forces of BiH.
Before the end of the visit of this delegation, the equipment, techniques and methods in the demining process used by members of the Demining Battalion of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina were presented on the line-up runway.
At the end, expectations were expressed that the allocated financial aid for strengthening the demining capacities of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be implemented as soon as possible, so that the process of demining in our country can take place smoothly, and in this way the goals of the national demining strategy will be met and Bosnia and Herzegovina will finally be cleared from residual mines.
