Helez on official visit to Egypt, defense industry cooperation among topics

(Patria) - BiH Minister of Defense Zukan Helez met today in Cairo with the Minister of Defense of the Arab Republic of Egypt, General Abdel-Mageed Saqr, marking the first official meeting between the defense ministers of the two countries.

The visit to Egypt is being realized at the invitation of the Egyptian Minister of Defense to Minister Helez.

The interlocutors discussed key steps for establishing future bilateral military cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Egypt, as well as the potential for cooperation in the field of defense industries.

Helez noted in his address that the draft of the future agreement on bilateral cooperation between the Ministries of Defense of BiH and Egypt has passed the procedure of the Council of Ministers of BiH and is awaiting approval from the Presidency of BiH.



- There is a huge willingness from the Egyptian Ministry of Defense to help develop and equip the Armed Forces of BiH. I hope we will soon sign the Plan for Bilateral Military Cooperation, thereby giving our cooperation a legal framework that will enable further development of the AF BiH.

The Egyptian Military Academy is one of the most prestigious in the world. Colleague Abdel-Mageed Saqr has promised to accept all candidates nominated by the AF BiH for training.

He also expressed readiness to support the procurement of specialized vehicles with the latest NATO certificates, intended for the transport of dangerous explosive materials - said Helez.

The Egyptian Minister of Defense expressed satisfaction with the fact that conditions are being created for much closer cooperation between Egypt and Bosnia and Herzegovina than it has been so far.

He spoke about his country's technological capabilities, as well as the possibilities of supporting the AF BiH in the field of military education.

The interlocutors specifically addressed the possibilities of business cooperation between defense industry companies from Egypt and BiH.

For this purpose, after the meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Minister Helez also met with the Director of the Egyptian Armament Authority, Major General Tarek Abdel Aal, and visited a special vehicle production complex.

Helez emphasized as particularly important the fact that representatives of five BiH defense industry companies are also present on the visit to Egypt, and they will have the opportunity to discuss modalities of business cooperation with Egyptian companies.



- Although the Mo BiH does not have direct jurisdiction over the defense industry, we are committed to facilitating their contacts with relevant partners.

Egypt could serve as a strategic hub for distributing BiH defense industry products to African and Arab world markets, while BiH can play such a role in placing Egyptian products in European markets.

We have already concretized our discussions today: representatives of the BiH defense industry will have 300 m2 of rented space at the arms fair in Egypt at the end of this year.

Also, next month we expect a return visit from representatives of the Egyptian defense industry to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This visit represents another important step in strengthening international partnerships and positioning BiH as a reliable partner on the global security stage.

The Ministry of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina remains committed to building strong international relations for the sake of preserving peace, security, and stability - concluded Helez.

According to the plan, Minister Helez will, as part of his further activities, lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the mausoleum of former Egyptian President Mohamed Anwar El Sadat.

The first day of the visit to Egypt will conclude with an official banquet hosted by the Egyptian Minister of Defense and Military Production, General Saqr.