GOGANOVIĆ: HELEZ ACTING OUTSIDE INSTITUTIONS, TURKISH REPRESENTATIVES IN BiH IGNORING OFFICIAL CALLS

SARAJEVO, JULY 28 /SRNA/ – Deputy Minister of Defence in the Council of Ministers, Aleksandar Goganović, told SRNA that Minister Zukan Helez, contrary to legal procedures and without deputy defence ministers’ consent, as well as without coordination within the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces of BiH, has been negotiating military equipment donations from Turkey.

“Minister Helez did not obtain the opinion of the Joint Staff of the BiH Armed Forces, which is the highest expert-military body, nor did he receive approval from the BiH Presidency, which serves as the supreme command, for assets that are not part of the current modernization plan,” Goganović stressed, also noting that the BiH delegation in Turkey was made up of members of only one ethnic group and lacked experts from the defence system. He adds that such actions represent a blatant bypassing of institutions and a continuation of arbitrary and unprofessional management of the defence sector, emphasizing that Helez is undermining the defence system - the only question that remains is whose orders he is following. “As deputy minister, I sent several official calls to the Turkish ambassador and military attaché in BiH to discuss and clarify certain issues related to cooperation and respect for the institutional framework. Unfortunately, I have yet to receive a response, which I find extremely inappropriate and irresponsible,” Goganović stated. He warned that such behaviour by Turkish representatives in BiH does not align with the Dayton Peace Agreement or with the policy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who respects the equality and consensus of the constituent peoples and institutional action at the BiH level. Following Elez’s visit to the IDEF 2025 Defence Industry Fair and talks with company owners and CEOs, as well as with Turkey’s defence industry secretary Haluk Görgün, Helez stated that the Armed Forces would receive the most modern anti-aircraft and anti-tank systems, and that the import of small drones has also been agreed. “We will decide what suits us best and choose one anti-aircraft and one anti-tank system, and then our soldiers and officers who will operate them will go to Turkey for training,” Helez told Avaz.