Cooperation between the Ministry of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Italy is at an enviable level, and since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding in 2013 it is constantly improving through military-technical cooperation, and cooperation of air force brigades.
This was emphasized today during the meeting between the Minister of Defense of BiH, Sifet Podzic, and the Minister of Defense of Italy, Lorenzo Guerini, who is on an official visit to the Ministry of Defense of BiH with the delegation.
Podzic thanked Minister Guerini for the donation of more than 1.5 million euros for the project “Perspective” intended for the care of discharged soldiers of the Armed Forces of BiH, as well as the training of officers of the AF BiH in Italy. He also stressed the importance of a valuable European Union donation of 10m euros for military demining.
The possibilities of joint participation in peacekeeping missions around the world were also discussed at the meeting, and the current UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon is under the command of the Italian army, for which, as Podzic said, the approval of the BiH Presidency is still pending. Podzic also reminded of Italy’s participation in Quinta, where together with France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, and that Italy always makes the right decisions for BiH that enable further integration into the EU and NATO.
They also discussed the current crisis in Europe, that is, as Podzic said, the invasion of the Russian Federation on independent Ukraine.
”We agreed that it has become clear that security is indivisible, and we must all be ready for the eventual defense of the continent. We welcome the decision of the EU and NATO to strengthen their presence and cooperation, especially in the southeastern part of Europe, countries that have not yet completed the process of integration into the EU and NATO, including BiH,” said Podzic.
Minister Guerini thanked Minister Podzic for his sincere welcome, and said that it was a mirror of good relations between BiH and Italy.
”Italy and BiH are two close countries, and that is not geographical or historical closeness, but what really brings us closer is true friendship, which is reflected in bilateral cooperation in the defense sector. Therefore, today we are committed to further strengthen this cooperation in the segment of training, operation, participation of BH strength in other missions,” Guerini said.
His arrival in BiH, he added, is a sign of the importance that Italy dedicates to BiH, support for BiH and the desire to join the EU.
”You can really count on Italy’s support in the EU integration process, because the accession of the Western Balkan countries is of key importance for stability and security. In that sense, we will do our best to help make it happenn,” said Minister Guerini.
