Helez with German Defence Minister: We Will Continue to Foster and Strengthen Friendly Relations

(Patria) - Deputy Chair of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Defence of BiH Zukan Helez, as part of an official visit to Berlin, met today with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.

During the meeting, the interlocutors emphasised that the two countries have good friendly relations that should continue to be fostered and strengthened.

Proof of this, as Pistorius said, is also the visit of the German delegation to the BiH Ministry of Defence in February this year.

Pistorius welcomed the BiH Ministry of Defence delegation, stating that he is happy about the renewed meeting.

The participants of the meeting discussed the economy, civil society, bilateral cooperation, DCB (Defence Capacity Building assistance package), and good and continuous cooperation between the two ministries of defence and armed forces was highlighted.

Minister Helez thanked for the welcome and expressed satisfaction with the opportunity for a new meeting.

- The Federal Republic of Germany is a proven and reliable partner, which has been confirmed through various projects and initiatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a NATO member state and an EU country, a respectable partner on BiH's path towards EU and NATO integration.



The friendly Federal Republic of Germany has been supporting the development of our country's institutions for many years. To this end, this country provides significant funds for the development and equipping of the Armed Forces of BiH, as well as substantial assistance in the education of our members in Germany.

In the period 2024-2025 alone, the support of the Federal Republic of Germany is planned for a total of 11 projects on infrastructure facilities of the Armed Forces of BiH.

The constant support that the Federal Republic of Germany provides to our country has made Bosnia and Herzegovina and Germany friendly countries in the full sense of the word - said Helez.

The Minister of Defence of BiH also emphasised that it is evident that NATO pursues an "open door policy", which encourages BiH to persist in integrating through strengthening cooperation with NATO.

- Regarding the European integration process, in the spring we had a significant step forward when the conditional start of membership negotiations was approved for us, with the condition being 14 reform priorities.

These are also the conditions for BiH to receive non-repayable funds from the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which would amount to 70 million euros for this year - stated Helez.

One of the key topics of the meeting was the control and protection of the airspace of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the interlocutors agreed that the EU will provide assistance to our country in this area.

Helez presented Pistorius with the Srebrenica Flower and an invitation to mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. He also thanked Germany for voting for the Srebrenica Resolution.