Ceremonial Academy on the Occasion of December 1st - BiH Armed Forces Day

With a ceremonial academy and reception for state and international officials and members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of cultural, public, and religious life in BiH, and top officials of BiH's defense structures, December 1st - BiH Armed Forces Day and the 12th anniversary of the formation of the BiH Armed Forces were marked at the BiH Armed Forces Hall in Sarajevo.

In her address to the attendees, which included, among others, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH Denis Zvizdić, the Chairman of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliament Bariša Čolak, Minister Ismir Jusko, and the President of the Federation of BiH Marinko Čavara, the Head of the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Lars Gunnar Wigemark, the Minister of Defense of BiH Marina Pendeš recalled the significant progress made in numerous areas within the competence of the Ministry of Defense and the BiH Armed Forces this year.

Furthermore, Minister Pendeš stated that in the coming period, she expects "the necessary support from the competent BiH structures, primarily in terms of securing financial resources for the modernization of the BiH Armed Forces, which will be reflected in a greater degree of security in the future, as well as a quality response to all legally defined tasks, and I particularly emphasize responding to natural disasters and accidents, demining, and the destruction of surplus weapons, ammunition, and explosive ordnance."

In addition to fulfilling legal tasks and objectives in the area of security and defense, Minister Pendeš stated that she also expects "good cooperation, support, and full engagement from all BiH institutions in achieving BiH's strategic goal - joining the EU and NATO, which has been expressed through a series of documents - BiH's Security Policy, Defense Policy, Foreign Policy Directions and Goals determined by the BiH Presidency, and ultimately through the BiH Defense Law."

- We in the Ministry of Defense of BiH, as before, remain committed to true democratic values and adopted Euro-Atlantic principles, and are deeply aware that there is no alternative to constant readiness for reforms and adaptation in the search for quality responses to increasingly complex defense challenges and risks.

A fitting concert was performed by the Military Orchestra of the BiH Armed Forces with symphony orchestras of music academy students from Sarajevo and Banja Luka, under the baton of Colonel Tomislav Sušac and Prof. Ognjen Bomoštar.