News in English     | 09.07.2020. 12:57 |

US and UK govt’s donate specialized vehicles and a military ambulance for AF BiH

FENA Press release

SARAJEVO, July 9 (FENA) - A solemn handover ceremony for the 14 new specialized off-road vehicles for the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AFBiH), donated by the United States Government to the BiH Ministry of Defense, was held on Wednesday at the Rajlovac barracks near Sarajevo. A military ambulance was also opened, whose establishment was helped by the Government of the United Kingdom.

The joint ceremony was attended by Minister of Defense of BiH Sifet Podžić and Chief of the Joint Staff of the AFBiH Colonel-General Senad Mašović, as well as US Ambassador to BiH Eric Nelson, British Ambassador to BiH Matt Field and Commander of the NATO Headquarters in BiH, Brigadier General William Edwards.

The US multi-purpose motor vehicles (HMMWV) "Humvee" were donated, five in the medical variant M-1152, three armored ones M-1152A1, three partially armored M-1152A1 and three in the command variant M-1165A1.

This completes the US donation of 24 "Humvee" vehicles delivered in March 2017,and 20 vehicles in July 2019. The total value of the donation is about nine million USD.

Podžić emphasized that the American donation will accelerate the realization of the primary foreign policy goal - the integration of our country into Euro-Atlantic structures.

“These five specialized ambulance vehicles fit perfectly with the ambulance we are opening today and which has been renovated and equipped as part of a project supported by the Government of the United Kingdom. We started the activities on the improvement of the medical service of the AF BiH in 2016, with the joint initiative of the MoD BiH, the British Embassy in BiH, the NATO Headquarters Sarajevo and the competent health institutions in BiH. Our goal is to improve the working conditions of the medical authorities in order to achieve the capabilities of ROLE-2 and within our capacities to provide quality healthcare to all members of the AF BiH,” said Podžić.

The US Ambassador Nelson said at a joint ceremony that Humvee vehicles and the ambulance best describe the essence of the North Atlantic Alliance.

“NATO is like a family of peoples, like-minded people, who work together for the common good, which we are witnessing here and today. The United States is donating off-road ambulances with stretchers, which further contribute to improving the capacity of the ambulance room, which was made possible by the UK Government. Like NATO itself, this makes up a whole whose value exceeds the sum of its individual parts. Although each part, like every NATO member, has its value, only when they merge do they make the greatest contribution,” Nelson concluded.

British Ambassador Field pointed out that this activity is part of the broad and continuous ties of the United Kingdom with the Armed Forces and the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He especially thanked the staff of the AF BiH and colleagues from NATO who did a significant job in repairing the building and launching the official registration of the ambulances.

“Today, our friends from the United States donated a significant fleet of highly mobile vehicles, a number of which will be used as ambulances. The vehicles will be complementary to the new facilities and provide safety to members of the AF BiH while performing their duties, knowing that they will receive the necessary care and attention in case of illness or injury. I am glad that we are working together towards the same goal - providing better healthcare for the staff of the AF BiH,” concluded Field.

After the recent opening of the ambulances in the "Kozara" barracks in Banja Luka and "Dubrava" near Tuzla, members of the AF BiH got a third address where they can receive basic healthcare. So far, the works on three facilities on which the Government of the UK has spent more than half a million KM have been completed, and the works on the fourth military ambulance in the "Božan Šimović" barracks in Čapljina will soon be intensified.

Chief of the Joint Staff of the AF BiH, Colonel General Senad Mašović pointed out that the new delivery of specialized vehicles and the opening of new ambulances will further improve the capabilities and interoperability of the BiH Armed Forces, which is one of the priorities and conditions for the BiH Armed Forces to grow into a modern military force.

The participants were also greeted by the Commander of the NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo, Brigadier General William Edwards.

“NATO Headquarters Sarajevo is proud to support the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense of BiH in opening this new military ambulance. I am pleased to see that these hard-working soldiers are getting a better quality of life, which comes with their own facilities designed to provide healthcare services,” said General Edwards.

(FENA) S. R.

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