Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Minister of Defence, Zukan Helez, is participating in the High-Level Political Forum between the European Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The event, attended by numerous politicians of our country, is taking place in Brussels.
The participants were addressed by Minister Helez after Borjana Krišto who chaired the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During his presentation, he reflected in the implementation of necessary reforms related to EU integration, with an emphasis on the contribution of defence institutions in this process, and, of course, the Council of Ministers, which plays a crucial role in proposing the required laws.
"First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to the EU Council for Foreign Affairs for their significant contribution in providing a reliable evaluation of the security situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina to the UN Security Council. This led to the adoption of the Resolution and a further extension of the EUFOR Althea Mission's mandate," stated Helez.
Additionally, the Minister of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina expressed appreciation to the European Union for a substantial donation of 20 million euros, which was utilised to strengthen the capabilities of the demining battalion of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Armed Forces.
"We had a ceremonial reception of 34 demining and 34 medical vehicles for demining operations. The first tranche worth 10 million euros has been fully implemented after receiving 150 metal detectors along with these vehicles. This has added value to our overall defence capabilities and increased our readiness for demining operations in EU, NATO, or UN missions. The second tranche of 10 million euros has also been approved and is in the implementation phase," emphasized Minister Helez.
Helez highlighted the audience that because Europe is a shared zone, the EU is bolstering its security by supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Finally, he expressed his gratitude to the EU for taking an interest in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"The least we can do is reciprocate with a better dynamic in fulfilling priorities and conditions for the start of negotiations, directing all bilateral support we have towards achieving this goal," Minister Helez concluded.
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