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WASHINGTON DC, April 13 (FENA) - Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zukan Helez continued activities during his official visit to Washington.
On the second day of his stay on Wednesday, Helez met in the White House with the Coordinator for defense policy and arms control at the National Security Council, Cara Abercrombie, whom he informed about the current political and security situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, current affairs in the defense department, and about the negative Russian impact on the collective security of BiH and beyond.
“It is encouraging that the Republic of Serbia is organizing a military exercise with NATO forces on its territory, but it is also a bad message that the Presidency of BiH did not give consent to hold the "Immediate Response-23" exercise at the military training ground of the Armed Forces of BiH in Manjača, in May this year. Also, the fact that the Prosecutor's Office of BiH does not prosecute those responsible for denying the genocide in Srebrenica is discouraging, which results in general insecurity and the departure of young people from the country,” emphasized Helez.
National Security Council Coordinator Cara Abercrombie emphasized the strong commitment of the US Government to support BiH on its way to the EU and NATO.
“We will help all reform processes in the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we welcome the agreed proposal for the structure of the new general corps. I will forward to the Pentagon for consideration the initiative to increase the presence of American forces in BiH,” she emphasized.
Minister Helez met with Stanley Brown, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, with whom he exchanged opinions on the current political and security situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the blockades of individual members of the collective head of state on our path to Euro-Atlantic integration.
Brown positively evaluated the realized project "Sarajevo without mines" and requested support for a new project called "Mostar without mines" nominated by the Marshal Legacy Institute Foundation.
“The US Government is ready to support the strengthening of the state institutions of BiH, primarily the Armed Forces of BiH through new projects for their equipment, which will soon be considered by the Congress. We will continue to support dealing with surplus weapons and mine explosives,” said Brown.
The Minister of Defense of BiH also visited the Pentagon and met with Colin Kahl, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the highest-ranking official of the US administration with whom Helez met.
Helez also introduced Kahl to the current situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is primarily conditioned by the influence of Russian aggression on Ukraine, announced the Public Relations Office of the MoBiH.
Kahl emphasized the firm commitment of the US Government to support the preservation of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and uniqueness of Bosnia and Herzegovina, stressing that he has devoted his entire career to security issues in the Balkans, and therefore Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Referring to President Biden's statement that the future and stability of the Balkans depend on NATO, Kahl emphasized that the US Government and the Pentagon continue to consider all options regarding increased support to BiH, especially the implementation of reforms in the field of justice and the rule of law.
“Our commitment is to intensify support and expand the level of cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and NATO, and we will ask European partners to increase their military presence in the ALTEA mission,” he said.
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