The EU Force (EUFOR) team undertook an inspection of the defence company Tehnicki Remont, Bratunac (TRB), the company that showcased its armoured personnel carrier “DESPOT” during the celebration of the unconstitutional “Republika Srpska Day,” on January 9, in Banja Luka.

EUFOR Commander, Major General Martin Dorfer, and a EUFOR team met with the CEO of the company, Slavenko Ristic, and discussed its history. They toured the Eastern-Bosnian factory site where they were shown the development of new products, like the “DESPOT” vehicle prototype, and the facilities for ammunition production and small arms weapon systems.

“I am looking forward to more visits in the future across the whole industrial military sector, in order to get a clear picture about the defence industry’s capabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Major General Dorfer said.

The “DESPOT” vehicle was one of the highlights of the of the “RS Day” celebration which was deemed unconstitutional by Bosnia's Constitutional Court that ruled on November 26, 2015, that January 9 as the Day of the Serb-dominated entity, discriminates all non-Serbs living there since this date is also the Orthodox day of St. Stephen.

This was a routine inspection for EUFOR under the OPERATION ALTHEA executive mandate, derived from the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2443 from 2018, to support Bosnian authorities to maintain the safe and secure environment.