Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of BiH, General Colonel Anto Jelec, stated that successful regional military cooperation and good neighbourly relations between the Balkan countries represent a very significant factor when it comes to building understanding, trust, stability and security in the region but also in the entire South-Eastern Europe.
“We can say that the regional cooperation of the Armed Forces of BiH with the armed forces of neighbouring countries is quite successful, but it is constantly in the process of improvment and development. We, especially soldiers, are nurturing friendly and good neighbourly relations,” stated Jelec.
He also noted that the cooperation of AF BiH with neighbouring countries is being realized in numerous fields, including education and training, mutual support of joint participation in peacekeeping missions, joint training, different level exercises, as well as joint observation and assessment of asymmetric and other kinds of security threats and risks in the region.
“At the moment, there are 67 members of AF BiH in the peacekeeping missions that are taking place in the Republic of Congo and Mali, Central African Republic and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. With the engagement in the aforementioned missions, the AF BiH are fulfilling their international obligations. They performed, and they are still performing, their mission in an honourable, professional and responsible manner, in accordance with the UN Charter, the Constitution Law and the Law on Defense of BiH, as the best representatives and ambassadors of their country,” stated Jelec.
He added that the AF BiH, together with their coalition partners, are giving their contribution to efforts made for strengthening the peace, stability and safety in the world, building democratic government institutions, the capacities of defence and security sector, respecting human rights and freedoms, and they are providing help to injured or ill persons in crises within their own limits capabilities.
He also added that AF BiH will follow international standards in the year of 2018 as well and they will follow the path of reforms in the realization of goal of creating modern, affordable and highly-skilled armed forces.
“I am sure that we will succeed in that, and I find the main reason for that optimism in encouraging and realized results from the previous period,” stated General Jelec.
(Source: fokus.ba)
