The Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zukan Helez, with his deputies Slaven Galić and Aleksandar Goganović, today received the Director of the Joint Staff of the Maryland National Guard – Brigadier General Craig Hunter, who is on a multi-day official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“I am especially pleased by the fact that, in addition to military cooperation, we have also taken the first significant steps towards establishing stronger civilian cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the federal state of Maryland, especially in the fields of education, medicine, dedicated industry and trade. I am sure that this will further improve the overall economic cooperation between our countries,” announced Helez.
The United States of America has so far provided the greatest support and invested the most in the development and modernization of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to Helez’s announcement.
“Through continuous political, security and institutional support, the USA made an immeasurable contribution to the strengthening of the defense capacities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also to the overall stability and security of our country,” concluded the Minister of Defense.
Helez: BiH is sending 64 members of the Armed Forces to Gaza
Speaking about international security challenges and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s contribution to peacekeeping, Helez announced that Bosnia and Herzegovina is participating in the international stabilization force for Gaza with 64 members of the BiH Armed Forces.
“The invitation of the United States of America to be part of these forces represents for us a great recognition of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and their continuous development,” Helez explained.
Hunter pointed out that he supports the efforts of Minister Helez in the direction of greater financial allocation of Bosnia and Herzegovina for defense and emphasized that these are also the expectations of US President Donald Trump, who would like to see BiH allocate at least two percent of the gross national product to the armed forces.
“Bosnia and Herzegovina is a key country in the Balkans for us. We are here to help you in all your efforts and we will continue to be with you,” concluded Hunter, writes Focus.
