Bosnia’s Defence Minister Zukan Helez is visiting Washington where he met with US coordinator of the National Security Council for defence policy and arms control, Cara Abercrombie, among others, who said she will forward the initiative to increase the presence of American forces in Bosnia to the Pentagon.

“It is encouraging that the Republic of Serbia is organizing a military exercise with NATO forces on its territory, but it is also a bad message that the BiH Presidency did not give consent to hold the exercise “Immediate Response-23” at the military training ground of the BiH Armed Forces in Manjaca, in the second half of May this year. Also, the fact that the Prosecutor's Office of BiH does not prosecute those responsible for denying the genocide in Srebrenica is discouraging, which results in general insecurity and the departure of young people from the country,” Minister Helez noted.

National Security Council Coordinator Cara Abercrombie emphasized the firm commitment of the US Government to support BiH on its way to the EU and NATO.

“We will support all reform processes in the MoD and the BiH Armed Forces and we welcome the agreed proposal for the structure of the new general corps. I will forward the initiative to increase the presence of American forces in BiH to the Pentagon for consideration,” she added.

On the same day, Minister Helez met at the State Department with Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Stan Brown, with whom he exchanged opinions on the current political and security situation in Bosnia and the blockages of certain members of the collective head of state on the path to Euro-Atlantic integration.

Brown congratulated the Minister on the formation of the new Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the quick adoption of the budget. He expressed his concern that the Republika Srpska entity is trying to introduce a Russian type of government, as well as shutting down free and independent media.

At the end of the day, Helez had an extremely useful visit to the Pentagon and a meeting with Dr Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of the Department of Defence for US policy, the highest-ranking official of the US administration with whom Minister Helez met.

Kahl stressed the firm commitment of the US Government to support the preservation of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and uniqueness of BiH, stressing that he has devoted his entire career to security issues in the Balkans, and therefore Bosnia and Herzegovina.