Lieutenant General Luciano Portolano, the head of the European Union Command Element, accompanied Commander EUFOR, Major General Anton Waldner and EUFOR Chief of Staff, Brigadier General József Szpisják as honoured guests at the 12th anniversary celebration of Armed Forces in BiH. They joined representatives from NATO, Embassies and the Government of BiH at a parade and military display to acknowledge the progress that Armed Forces of BiH have made.
During the parade, several members of the Armed Forces of BiH were awarded commendations by the Minister of Defence Marina Pendeš. The parade and dignitaries were addressed by the Chief of the Joint Staff Lieutenant General Anto Jeleč, and the Chairman of the Presidency of BiH Dragan Čović. They highlighted the issues that Armed Forces of BiH face, and the substantial progress that they have made.
EUFOR has been instrumental in assisting this progress: over the last year, 40 training serials, 6 combined training events and more than 800 soldiers from the Armed Forces of BiH have worked with EUFOR personnel.
After the parade, EUFOR staff joined Lieutenant General Portolano and Commander EUFOR in looking more closely at some of the equipment used by Armed Forces BiH and speaking with some of the troops. When asked about co-operation between EUFOR and Armed Forces BiH, Commander EUFOR said: “This year with exercises together, such as Quick Response 17, has seen very good progress in the conduct of training. Next year, we will be able to undertake more challenging training activities.”
EUFOR will continue to provide training for the Armed Forces of BiH in 2018, and EUFOR will continue to work with Armed Forces of BiH and other agencies for a safe and secure BiH.
(Source:eufor, written by Lt Cdr Sarah Wetherfield)
