Today, on March 17th 2026 - EUFOR Commander, Major General Maurizio Fronda, met with the Minister of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Zukan Helez, deputy Minister for Policy and Plans Slaven Galić, and Deputy Minister for Resource Management Aleksandar Goganović.
The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange views on issues of mutual interest and to reaffirm the strength of existing cooperation between EUFOR and the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to enhancing professional standards and ensuring that the Armed Forces of BiH remain capable, prepared and aligned with international best practices. Continued implementation of joint training activities, in addition to the planning and conduct of the upcoming annual combined exercise in April, aimed at further strengthening interoperability, operational readiness and mutual trust.
Minister Helez expressed his appreciation for EUFOR’s continuous support, both in the field of training and capacity-building, as well as in the execution of routine daily tasks. He underlined the importance of EUFOR’s presence and partnership for the overall stability and security environment in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Furthermore, Minister Helez referenced the progress BiH has achieved in the past year concerning its cooperation with NATO, adopting several necessary changes to further align with NATO’s requirements.
Major General Fronda congratulated the BiH MoD on the progress achieved during last year concerning BiH’s cooperation with EUFOR and also with NATO, progressing on many fronts to ensure international best practice. He emphasized that cooperation with the Armed Forces of BiH remains a cornerstone of EUFOR’s mandate. He reiterated EUFOR’s full commitment to supporting the ongoing development of a capable, professional and resilient armed forces, highlighting that joint exercises are a visible demonstration of unity of effort and shared responsibility for maintaining a safe and secure environment in BiH also in coordination with NATO HQ Sarajevo. Furthermore, Major General Fronda emphasized that such coordination was mutually beneficial to both EUFOR and AF BiH, providing a space for collaboration at all levels of command to enhance interoperability and ensure operational readiness for the BiH.
It was mutually agreed that by continuing to commit to the ongoing development of a strong partnership and continuous joint training activities are key elements in preserving stability and reinforcing confidence across Bosnia and Herzegovina, and vowed to continue and enhance this essential relationship into the future with the common objective for BiH to attain of membership in EU and in NATO.
Deputy Minister for Policy and Plans Slaven Galić, and Deputy Minister for Resource Management Aleksandar Goganović, thanked EUFOR for its role as guarantors of peace and security in BiH and expressed their gratitude to the 25 nations that participate in EUFOR. They agreed that the key components to preserving stability and reinforcing confidence within the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina was through the maintenance of regular dialogue between EUFOR, institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the AF BiH.
COM EUFOR highlighted the strong and ongoing cooperation with the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces of BiH, emphasized EUFOR's steadfast and impartial commitment to supporting the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina to ensure a safe and secure environment for all people living in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in line with EUFOR's mandate.