EUFOR reacts to Dodik's statements: Reject activities that could divide the Armed Forces of BiH

(Patria) - EUFOR believes that statements undermining the Armed Forces of BiH and their legal status as a unified military force of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina are counterproductive and should be avoided. 

This was stated by EUFOR, after the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, during the commemoration of the Day of the former RS Army, called for soldiers to be dressed in uniforms worn during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina next year.

EUFOR reminds that the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina were established in accordance with the Law on Defense (2005), which was unanimously adopted by the then ruling parties in the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH. EUFOR also reminds that the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina consist of people from the three constituent peoples and others, and that they work for and on behalf of all peoples of BiH, thus contributing to the resilience of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Following the successful completion of EUFOR’s training and education program in 2018, the AF BiH have transformed from those who receive security to those who provide it. The AF BiH have regular joint and collective training exercises with EUFOR, which demonstrates their readiness to participate in peacekeeping operations. The AF BiH also play an important role in providing support to the capacities of civilian authorities that assist in cases of natural disasters and catastrophes.”

EUFOR emphasizes that it is proud of its cooperation with the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and rejects all statements or activities that, as they stated, “could divide this organization and jeopardize the success that the AF BiH have achieved in creating a unified state military force, which has gained international respect and represents all the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

EUFOR, it was announced, continues to act in accordance with its mandate from Article VII of the Charter of the United Nations and to provide support to domestic authorities, including the AF BiH, in maintaining a safe and stable environment for all the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

EUFOR, or the European Union Force, is the name for the military in Bosnia and Herzegovina that oversees the military implementation of the Dayton Agreement, which stopped the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995.