The First Balkan Regional Conference on Special Operation Forces
{gallery}newsletters/12/4{/gallery}The first annual Balkan Conference on Special Operation Forces was held from October 26th – 28th in Sarajevo. This event was organized by the NATO Joint Forces Command from Naples. The BiH Ministry of Defense, as well as the Joint Staff of the BiH Armed Forces also assisted in the planning of this three day conference.
The primary goals of this gathering were the establishment and development of regional cooperation of Special Operation Forces, their participation in joint education programs and the exchange of training programs and experiences. Another important point of discussion concerned the material and technical resources of Special Operation Forces.
In addition to numerous guests, the conference was attended by representatives of NATO Special Operations Headquarters (NSHQ), the United States European Command (USEUCOM), the BiH Ministry of Defense, the BiH Armed Forces, the US Embassy, the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) and the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo. Delegations of Special Operation Forces from Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Lithuania were also present.
The BiH Minister of Defense Selmo Cikotić, opened the conference by emphasizing the importance and significance of regional cooperation of Special Operation Forces in providing an effective response to modern security threats.
At the conference’s conclusion, NATO HQ Commander, Brigadier General David Enyeart and Deputy Cheif of Joint Staff of BiH Armed Forces, Major-General Rizvo Pleh, held closing speeches. The speakers noted the importance of productive dialogue and the exchange of experiences. They both expressed their hope that a similar conference will soon be held in one of the countries in the region.
A. Z.
Photo: MOBiH
