Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense of the USA Evelyn Farkas, who is paying a two-day visit to B&H, stated in Sarajevo today, after meeting with officials of the Ministry of Defense of B&H and Armed Forces of B&H, that focus of the meeting was on mutual contribution to further development of defense institutions of B&H.
She emphasized that apart from significant success achieved by the B&H Armed Forces and Ministry of Defense of B&H when it comes to participation in operations in Africa and Afghanistan, progress was also made in field of training of forces, developing modern abilities and achievement of first class results in training, demining and destroying unexploded ordnance.
She added that these institutions have taken very firm and clear stance when it comes to fight against corruption in reform of procurement and spending of budget funds and when it comes to destruction of surplus weapons.
She finds that building defense institutions is a difficult task, especially with political and economic challenges and she congratulated Armed Forces and Ministry of Defense of B&H for what they have achieved.
”Fight against corruption should be continued and key to success is to secure enough funds and to implement budget execution on time. Success of these institutions is proof that divisions from the past will not stop better joint future”, said Farkas.
She commended significant contribution of these institutions, which participated in rescue actions during last-month’s floods in B&H.
Minister of Defense of B6H Zekerijah Osmić emphasized today that best results in the reform were achieved in defense sector, and he gave example of the latest disaster which showed that Armed Forces were the most organized factor in assisting the endangered population.
”We wish the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense to report on our progress in Euro-Atlantic integration, especially the efforts to accelerate path to NATO, which is our orientation, because NATO has no alternative”, emphasized Osmić.
Some of those activities include participation in international missions, the UN missions, beginning of training of officers, progress in implementation of Resolution 1325 which refers to women, peace and security and then fight against corruption. There is also demining process and destruction of NUS and all these, concluded Osmić, are important steps on B&H’s path to NATO.
(Source: Fena)
