While European, and recently neighboring countries, are investing billions of euros in modernizing their weapons, and are almost competing to acquire modern combat aircraft, Bosnia and Herzegovina receives weapons, mainly through donations, and those weapons it needs for training and participation in peacekeeping operations. military missions. Experts are of the opinion that the arming of neighbors does not represent a threat to peace in BiH, but that it is necessary to have more significant funds in the budget for the modernization of the Armed Forces.
Six Rafales, modern French-made fighter planes, have already arrived in Croatia. By next year, they will receive six more, and the US State Department has approved the sale of HIMARS to Croatia worth 390 million dollars. Serbia signed an agreement worth 2.7 billion euros for the purchase of 12 fighter jets from a French company. The region is almost in a race for military modernization, and certain military reinforcements are also announced by the Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
ZUKAN HELEZ, Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina
“Sometime in January, four transporters for the battalion group of light infantry will arrive. This is the elite unit of the Armed Forces. They are the newest transporters, we import them from Turkey. Then, we signed five helicopters from the United States of America. In the coming period, we have agreed on unmanned aerial vehicles”.
The geopolitical situation in the world has imposed new priorities, so military topics are increasingly common among the members of the European Union.
ŽELJANA ZOVKO, Member of the European Parliament
“Concern about the security of the borders, so that the whole of Europe is moving towards allocating as much money as possible for armaments because the world is a very turbulent place”.
It is clear that we cannot participate in the arms race, but it is necessary to have secured funds in the budget for the modernization of the Armed Forces. BiH, however, is at the bottom of the regional scale in terms of military expenditures.
ŠEMSUDIN MEHMEDOVIĆ, MP in PSBiH
“The budget for the defense of BiH this year was reduced by 1.7 million BAM. You can imagine then what can be done with those funds. According to research, BiH has the lowest curve”.
The development component has been neglected for years, experts remind, emphasizing that the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina obtain weapons mainly through donations, for training and participation in peacekeeping missions.
ĐURO KOZAR, military analyst
“BiH needs to have a part of the funds for the modernization of weapons in the annual budget. We have not had funds for the modernization of the Armed Forces for years because the deputies and members of the Council of Ministers from Republika Srpska reject any possibility of increasing the budget for this purpose”.
RADOVAN KOVAČEVIĆ, delegate in the House of Peoples of the PSBiH
“Our position is that for Bosnia and Herzegovina as a country in a post-conflict society that needs to be surrounded by friends, the only good option would be the demilitarization of Bosnia and Herzegovina”.
The arming of neighboring countries should not be seen as a threat to peace, but in the broader context of general arming. Croatia is a member of NATO and conducts its military activities in accordance with the policy of the NATO alliance, while Serbia, on the other hand, has its own motives.
ZDENKO ĆOSIĆ, member of the Joint Commission for Defense and Security of the PSBiH
“I don’t think we should fabricate any kind of concern because Serbia or Croatia are arming themselves as NATO members. I don’t see that danger for BiH because, I say, NATO is the guarantor of peace in BiH”.
While there is more and more talk about the modernization of weapons, announcements about the possible return of mandatory military service in neighboring countries are also getting louder. In Serbia, according to the announcements of the president of that country, mandatory military service for a duration of 75 days could be introduced in about a year, BHRT writes.
