Officials gathered on Friday in Sarajevo to mark the 27th anniversary of the establishment of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, laying wreaths and paying their respects for the its soldiers who lost their lives during the 1992-1995 war.
Government delegations attended the event, part of which was a visit to the grave of late Alija Izetbegovic – the first President of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was the only legal military force of the internationally recognised state during the war, said the Bosniak member of the tripartite Presidency, Sefik Dzaferovic.
“The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) defended Bosnia and enabled the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement,” he said.
“The soldiers of the ARBIH fought for an integral and democratic Bosnia, a country of equal peoples and citizens across its territory. And even today, 24 years after the Dayton Agreement was signed, we are still fighting for the realisation of that goal,” he added.
“I have no doubts that we will achieve that,” Dzaferovic said, adding that Bosnia will also become a member of the EU and NATO and “a country where the economy will develop and where people can normally live off of their work.”
