Helez visits Egyptian Military Academy: Establishing cooperation in education and training

(Patria) - The second day of the visit to the Arab Republic of Egypt, the BiH Minister of Defense Zukan Helez met in Cairo today with the Chief of the Egyptian Military Academy, Lieutenant General Ashaf Salem Zaher.

The Egyptian Military Academy, as one of the most reputable military educational institutions in the region, has a rich tradition in shaping military leaders and officers who have left a deep mark on the modern history of their country.

Helez and Zaher exchanged information about their respective capabilities, capacities, and projects for training and educating military personnel.

After our delegation was presented with the rich history of the Egyptian Military Academy, the minister thanked the host for the opportunity to learn about the work of this educational institution and to explore the broad possibilities for future potential cooperation in the field of education and training between the two countries.

- We are currently implementing a reform and modernization of military educational capacities in the BiH defense system, and given that Egypt has many years of experience in the field of military education, we are very interested in establishing cooperation in this area as well - said Helez.

The possibility of specifically sending our personnel for four-year and command-staff training to Egyptian military educational institutions, for training future BiH Armed Forces trainers by Egyptian instructors, establishing cooperation with our Peace Support Operations Training Centre (PSOTC) in Butmir, through joint courses for high-ranking officers of both countries, establishing joint training plans, through the exchange of instructors and other forms of cooperation, was discussed.

- Systemic, strategic, and institutional cooperation with the Arab Republic of Egypt, focused on knowledge transfer, building domestic capacities, and the mandatory return of experts to service, can accelerate the creation of a coherent, modern officer elite of the BiH Armed Forces, which is what we are striving for.

This approach to building domestic capacities would reduce the deployment of cadets to various foreign schools and maximize the long-term benefit for the BiH Armed Forces and the security stability of the region. Our goal is to develop domestic capabilities for the continuous production of officers at the operational-strategic level - emphasized Helez.

Lieutenant General Zaher thanked the minister for the visit and the expressed interest in establishing cooperation in the field of education and training of military personnel. He expressed satisfaction with the fact that opportunities for close cooperation between Egypt and Bosnia and Herzegovina are opening up.

At the end of the meeting, the BiH Minister of Defense emphasized that the key goals of BiH's international policy are full membership in NATO and the European Union, but that BiH is ready for any form of cooperation with Egypt on the foundations of mutual respect, professionalism, and a shared commitment to preserving peace and security.