The Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zukan Helez and the Deputy Minister for Resource Management Aleksandar Goganović met today with the Director of the International Military Staff of NATO, Colonel General Janusz Adamczak, who is on an official visit to the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Ministry announced that the current activities of the Ministry and the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina were discussed at the meeting, and views were exchanged on the security situation in Europe, as well as the implications for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region.
“Minister Helez especially thanked the guest from NATO for the engagement of NATO members in the project of building the defense capacities of BiH and emphasized the need for the modernization of the Armed Forces of BiH, but also the continuation of the EUFOR mission in BiH,” the statement states.
Helez put forward a proposal that the Armed Forces of BiH, as an armed force whose members are among the few in the world that carry out demining according to extremely strict standards of humanitarian demining, should lead demining activities in war-torn Ukraine, when the conditions for this are met.
“Every cooperation with NATO helps us to raise our capabilities, and in Euro-Atlantic integration I see the only right path, which has no alternative for all of us in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I am convinced that this is the attitude of the majority of our citizens,” said Minister Helez.
Deputy Minister Goganović emphasized the commitment to cooperation with the NATO alliance, as defined by the Reform Program, and emphasized the need to extend the EUFOR mission, which has a major role in building a secure environment in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Goganović also expressed satisfaction that the Presidency of BiH adopted the structure of the General Assembly, which was submitted by the Ministry of Defense of BiH, and expressed the hope that new generals will be appointed by the end of the year.
General Adamczak pointed out that NATO is committed to mutual dialogue and practical cooperation with Bosnia and Herzegovina. He spoke extremely highly of the recent assistance of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina in flood-affected Slovenia and welcomed the idea of Bosnia and Herzegovina leading demining projects in Ukraine.
But he emphasized that it will be decided by the Ukrainians themselves. General Adamczak emphasized NATO’s commitment to the implementation of the assistance package for the construction of the defense capacities of BiH (DCB), as well as the further development of the interoperability of the Armed Forces of BiH with the armies of NATO members.
At the end of the meeting, the interlocutors expressed their satisfaction that next year BiH will host two important events under the auspices of NATO – the Partnership Coordination Conference and the NATO Partnership Symposium.
