NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mirce Geoana visited the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Rajlovac on Friday. He held a meeting with BiH Defence Minister Zukan Helez and said that the security of BiH is important for the Western Balkans and the whole of Europe, and that NATO will always be a sincere and benevolent friend that will support the country in its goals.

“The Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina are increasingly following NATO standards, especially the battalion group of light infantry that passed the NATO evaluation process, and we are proud of that,” Helez said.

He stated that BiH will organize two large NATO meetings in April and October.

“The question is often asked when will BiH become part of NATO. I want to say that NATO is here in BiH, we are partners of NATO and we want full membership. Euro-Atlantic integration has no alternative, it is our only foreign policy goal,” said Helez.

NATO Deputy Secretary.General Mircea Geoana said that this visit shows the importance of the long-term partnership between NATO and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Many important things are being worked on in many areas, since the defence ministers of the NATO countries approved the package for building defence capacities for your country last year. This package consists of many projects. When we talk about emergency management, we are working on expanding the software platform that allows information about natural and other disasters to be shared. When it comes to the fight against terrorism, we are working on a training course with the Ministry of Security. We help in improving the infrastructure of facilities where light and small arms are stored and the training command of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We continue to support the courses conducted by the Ministry for officers and non-commissioned officers. The Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina are one of the most important multi-ethnic armed institutions and they have gone through an extraordinary transformation,” said Geoana.

He said that the security of BiH is important for the Western Balkans and the whole of Europe and praised the Armed Forces of BiH.

“You will always have a sincere, benevolent and permanent friend in NATO who will help you achieve your goals”, he said.