AFBiH has a surplus of 39,333 pieces of armament and 5,662 tons of ammunition and explosive ordnance

(Patria) - The 27th session of the Strategic Committee for Armament, Ammunition, and Explosive Ordnance (NMiMES), with the support of the OSCE Mission to BiH and UNDP, was held today at the premises of the Armed Forces of BiH (AFBiH) House in Sarajevo.

The session was chaired by the Deputy Minister of Defence of BiH, Slaven Galić, and was attended by the Chief of the Joint Staff of the AFBiH, Lieutenant General Gojko Knežević, and his deputies - Major Generals Mirsad Ahmić and Tomo Kolenda.

Discussions focused on the implementation of activities to resolve surpluses of armament, ammunition, and explosive ordnance, the progress of projects by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in BiH and the OSCE Mission to BiH, EUFOR support, infrastructure projects aimed at improving security, as well as challenges and future activities in this area.

In his introductory address, Galić expressed special gratitude to today's host - UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for their continuous support and coordination of activities.

He also thanked Germany, whose donations enable the implementation of a number of important infrastructure projects that significantly improve the security of storing these items.

Gratitude for continuous and unwavering support was also extended to other partners - Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the USA, as well as UNDP, the OSCE Mission to BiH, EUFOR, and the NATO HQ Sarajevo.

In his address, UNDP Resident Representative Renaud Meyer highlighted the importance of the committee's work from the perspective of the security of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

General Ahmić emphasized the importance of continuous improvement of technical and security standards, along with the need for additional financial support.

He also stressed the significance of further support from international partners in improving the storage standards for explosive ordnance and personnel training, and thanked all partners and members of the Strategic Committee for their contribution to strengthening the security of storage facilities and the citizens of BiH.

To date, a total of 62,245 pieces of armament and 28,436 tons of ammunition and explosive ordnance have been resolved through sales, donations, and destruction, while current surpluses amount to 39,333 pieces of armament and 5,662 tons of ammunition and explosive ordnance.

Attendees agreed to intensify the process of resolving NMiMES surpluses by all prescribed methods in the coming period, continue activities on improving the security of storage facilities and training of personnel engaged in these tasks, with the aim of preserving a safe and stable environment throughout the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.