Helez in the Pentagon: Strengthening the Partnership between BiH and the United States of America

(Patria) - On the first day of his official visit to the United States of America, the Deputy Chairman of the Council
of Ministers and Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zukan Helez, visited the Pentagon, where he met with Daniel L. Zimmerman, US Assistant Secretary of War for International Security Affairs.

At the beginning of the meeting, Minister Helez thanked Zimmerman for the continuous support that the United States of America provides to Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially in the development of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was emphasized that, thanks to this support, Bosnia and Herzegovina is today a credible and reliable partner of the United States of America.

The meeting was an opportunity to further strengthen partnership relations and discuss the continuation and improvement of cooperation. This year, bilateral cooperation between the two countries includes more than 80 joint activities, and the results so far include significant investments in the BiH Armed Forces, including the procurement of six new American helicopters.

Minister Helez particularly emphasized the importance of cooperation with the federal state of Maryland, and pointed out that this visit represents an opportunity to further expand the existing successful cooperation to the civilian sector. The delegation led by the Deputy Chairman of the BiH Council of Ministers, Zukan Helez, also includes the Deputy Minister of Defense Aleksandar Goganović, the Federal Prime Minister, two ministers from the Government of the Federation of BiH, several mayors and city mayors, as well as representatives of clinical centers, universities, the Foreign Trade Chamber, and the BiH defense industry, with the aim of further strengthening ties between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the United States of America.

During the meeting, Minister Helez expressed pride over the invitation for the BiH Armed Forces to be part of the international security and humanitarian mission in Gaza, and emphasized Bosnia and Herzegovina's readiness to contribute to maintaining peace.

In his address, Deputy Minister of Defense Aleksandar Goganović emphasized full support for BiH's participation in international stabilization forces in Gaza that will operate under the auspices of the United States of America, as well as the importance of continuing cooperation on the procurement of new helicopters for the BiH Armed Forces in partnership with the USA. He particularly emphasized that strategic partnership with the United States of America is of key importance, as it directly contributes to maintaining peace, stability, and security for all peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Further improvement of cooperation, strengthening of partnership, opportunities for cooperation in the defense industry, as well as other issues of common interest were also discussed with Zimmerman.

"Finally, I thank the representatives of the United States authorities for their openness to dialogue, their expressed interest in continuing cooperation, and their commitment to further strengthening our partnership," emphasized Minister Helez.