Minister of Defense of BiH, Marina Pendes, said after the meeting of the Strategic Committee for Weapons, Ammunition and Explosive Ordnance that in our country was destroyed almost 900 tons of weapons considered as surplus, in the first five months of the year of 2016.
In order to analyze and improve activities directed towards addressing the issue of surplus weapons, ammunition and explosives (NMiMES) in BiH, the 12th session of the Strategic Committee for Weapons, Ammunition and Explosive Ordnance, hosted by the command of EUFOR in BiH, was held yesterday at the headquarters of Armed Forces of BiH in Sarajevo.
Pendes said that the Strategic Committee is an important format in which are discussed important issues of security of BiH. She thanked the representatives of the OSCE, UNDP, NATO, EUFOR, Embassy of the United States, Switzerland, Sweden and Austria for all the support that they gave to BiH by supporting two projects EXPLODE and SECAP.
“I think that 6 million EUR that were invested in education, training and software in the last 3 years, as well as in the construction of infrastructure at perspective locations of the Armed Forces of BiH, where perspective weapons and ammunition is stored, is very important for the security of our country,” said Pendes.
She emphasized that she believes that this project should be continued, recalling that EXPLODE project ends on the 31st of August this year, EXPLODE 1 continues until the end of the year, and SECAP lasts for several more months.
“I think that we achieved a lot through the training of the Armed Forces that will take care of the life cycle of ammunition and explosives in the future,” said Pendes.
She warned that the problem with the ammunition filled with white phosphorous remains, which in the future must be completely destroyed, and in that context she added that it is necessary to strengthen the cooperation with companies of military industry.
“In the first five months, compared to the last year where we destroyed 600 tons, we already came to the figure of 900 tons at the 31st of May,” said Pendes.
In the end, she expressed the hope that BiH will continue with this intensity of work on the destruction of surplus weapons and ammunition in our country.
(Source: Er. M./Klix.ba)
