CONFERENCE ON BOSNIAN ARMED FORCES TRAINING OPENED IN SARAJEVO

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (January 25,2008) – Training must become something regular for the Bosnian Armed Forces, and this will be set as priority in the future period, it was stated yesterday in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo at the opening of the first annual Conference on the Bosnian Armed Forces Training.

Goal of this conference is to review new challenges which exist in the training process and assess possibilities of realizing set goals.

Head of the Bosnian Armed Forces HQ General Sifet Podzic confirmed that previous two years were poor regarding the training, which is why there was a priority to form new units and commands.

Until now, there was no training organization system, but only ad hoc trainings, from mission to mission, concluded Podzic saying that this was exactly the purpose of this conference.

At the conference we shall define the areas of the training process and eventual requests to the Bosnian Ministry of Defence and other institutions related with fulfilling the criteria and demands of the training.

”We want to change conditions of the training process and it will be given a priority”, stated General Podzic. He underlined that the training represents a continuance of defense sector reform and transition process of the Bosnian Armed Forces completed in the previous year.

Podzic also stated that units and nominated compounds designated for operations which contribute to peace keeping have to be trained and dedicated in completing the mission in the best possible manner.

”This however, does not mean that we should have lower demands from others. Training and responsibility must be imperative of all members of the Bosnian Armed Forces”,General Podzic said.

Education of the Bosnian Armed Forces members representing Bosnia in missions or daily activities of international military cooperation units must be more demanding and of better quality,he said.