Members of the Joint Committee on Defence and Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina met with the members of the Delegation of National Defense University from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Chairman of the Joint Committee on Defence and Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sifet Podžić, introduced guests with the organization and basic responsibility of the Joint Committee. He emphasized that this permanent working body of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herezgovina practices democratic control of the Ministry of Defense and Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as of the Ministry of Security and seven agencies for the implementation of the law that is a part of this Ministry. 

 
He emphasized that Joint Committee that is, at today's meeting, represented by the members of the Committee, Bariša Čolak, Hazim Rančić and Mario Karamatić, in the previous period held many conferences, seminars and working meetings with the most responsible individuals from the Defence and Security Sector. During that meetings, the key issues from these areas were discussed, in particular concerning the issues of the budgetary spending and unfavorable budgetary structure for the Defense Sector, the issues of public procurement, as well as the personnel status and the fullfilment of the committments of our country for the beginning of the implementation of the Action Plan for NATO membership. Podžić pointed out the process of making the strategic document ''Defence Review,'' as the issue of a great importance, that is to show the clear vision of the future status of the Armed Forces of BiH and the Security Sector as a whole. Also, he pointed out the issue of addressing the surplus of the outdated weapons, ammunition and unexploded ordnance and mines. 

The representatives of the National Defense University from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, led by the general Shoaib Akbar, thanked to the members of the Joint Committee on Defence and Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the possibility to, through the direct dialogue, learn more about the parliamentary oversight over Defence and Security Sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Guests from Pakistan particularly showed their interest for the economic policy of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the benefits our country could get with a potential NATO membership. In this respect, during the meeting they also discussed the military property issues and addressing the issues of perspective and non-perspective locations of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The general Akbar expressed the strong belief that the two countries could move strongly forward in the cooperation on defence and security issues, and invited the members of the Joint Committee on Defence and Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina to visit Islamic Republic of Pakistan in a time to come. Boško Šiljegović, the Parliamentary Military Commissioner of BiH, also participated in the meeting of the members of the Joint Committee on Defence and Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the representatives of the National Defense University from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. (End)