Courtesy Call of Commander EUFOR
On 29 March 2017, the Minister of Defence of BiH, Marina Pendeš, and her associates, received a visit from the new Commander EUFOR in BiH, Major General Anton Waldner, on the occasion of his assuming the position of EU Force Commander in BiH, with the aim of informing him of the activities of the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the co-operation between the MoD and AF BiH with the EUFOR mission in BiH.
Maj Gen Waldner and Minister Pendeš
The Minister expressed her gratitude to EUFOR mission, which has contributed to the stabilization and reform process in BiH to a great extent, and also for the co-operation and assistance provided by EUFOR to our Armed Forces in the area of training and capacity building, aimed at their carrying out the regular tasks and missions.
In addition, she underlined the commitment of BiH to becoming part of the European Union (EU) and NATO as a strategic goal of the country, mentioning just some steps made towards the accession to the EU, including the signing of the Agreement between BiH and the EU on establishing a framework for the participation of BiH in EU crisis management operations. General Waldner was also briefed on the main activities of the MoD BiH, and Pendeš pointed out the MAP activation as a priority activity, which above all requires progress to be made in finding solutions for the issues of prospective military property, and she also mentioned the adoption of the strategic document Defence Review and the Plan for the Modernisation of the Armed Forces of BiH.
Minister Pendeš said that the priority activities included the Plan for the Implementation of Defence Review, the process of solving the issues of surplus ammunition, mines and mine explosive ordnance, participation of the AF BiH in peace support operations, humanitarian de-mining, as well as the continuation of joint training and exercises with EUFOR troops in BiH. General Waldner expressed his pleasure because he would be part of the efforts made by local and international players in providing support to the efforts of BiH on its path towards Euro Atlantic integration processes, and he expressed his confidence that the future co-operation between EUFOR wand the MoD BiH and AF BiH would continue successfully, in particular emphasizing the area of capacity building and training of AF BiH members, which primarily contribute to the building of capacities and capabilities of the AF BiH and adaptation and implementation of the standards compatible with NATO standards.
