Helez in Ankara: BiH Armed Forces Resolving Pilot Shortage Thanks to Turkey

(Patria) - Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Defence Zukan Helez, with a delegation from the BiH Ministry of Defence, is on an official visit to the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Turkey in Ankara.

As part of the official visit, Helez met today in Ankara with the Turkish Minister of National Defence Yaşar Güler, and was welcomed with the highest military and state honours.



During the meeting, the interlocutors discussed military-bilateral cooperation between the two countries, Euro-Atlantic integration, the assistance that Turkey continuously provides to the BiH Armed Forces, the security situation in the Western Balkans and the world, and numerous other topics.

This visit was also marked by the signing of an important Framework Agreement for the BiH Ministry of Defence and the BiH Armed Forces on helicopter pilot flight training with the company ASFAT for a period of 10 years, and a Contract for flight training for six candidate helicopter pilots of the BiH Armed Forces.

As agreed, several pilots from the BiH Armed Forces will travel to Turkey as early as next week to begin their training.

Helez stated that in this way, and thanks to Turkey, the BiH Armed Forces are resolving the issue of pilot cadre shortage.

- The agreement represents the culmination of efforts invested in the implementation of a multi-year project for the training of officers in the military registry specialty of Aviation, which began in 2015.

Cooperation in the field of defence between our two countries is very good, and the Republic of Turkey, as a NATO member, is a respectable partner on BiH's path to EU and NATO integration.



Certainly, it is important to mention the participation of members of the Turkish contingent within the NATO headquarters in Sarajevo, and their significant contribution to preserving peace and stability - said Helez.

He emphasized that Turkey plays a significant role in supporting defence system reforms, collective and individual training of the BiH Armed Forces, equipping and modernization, as well as maintaining a secure and stable environment.

- Through agreements on military-financial assistance and the Implementation Protocol between the BiH Council of Ministers and the Government of Turkey, the Republic of Turkey continuously donates significant funds for the modernization and equipping of the BiH Armed Forces.

In this way, it has been regulated that products from Turkey's defence industry are used for equipping and modernizing the BiH Armed Forces, and this has significantly contributed to the equipping and modernization of material and technical resources in use by the BiH Armed Forces - Helez added.

He also thanked the representatives of the company ASFAT for the maintenance and bringing into operational condition of 20 M60 A3 tanks and 20 M113 armoured personnel carriers of the BiH Armed Forces.

Namely, 13 representatives of the company ASFAT stayed in our country to carry out repairs on the tanks and armoured personnel carriers, and alongside the work, they also conducted training for members of the BiH Armed Forces in the field of maintenance of these combat vehicles.

The contract between the BiH Ministry of Defence and ASFAT for the procurement of spare parts and maintenance services for armoured vehicles in the BiH Armed Forces amounted to more than 2 million dollars, which is the largest investment in the maintenance of combat equipment in the BiH Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces to date, and these funds were donated by the Turkish Government.



Minister Güler expressed satisfaction with the visit of the BiH Ministry of Defence delegation and the meeting. He also emphasized that the two countries will strive to strengthen the friendly relations they have had for years.

During his official visit to Turkey, Minister Helez also visited the ASFAT company and the Special Forces Command of the Turkish Armed Forces.