OSCE launches project to secure munitions sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina, signs co-operation agreement with Council of Ministers

SARAJEVO, 9 October 2013 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina launched a project to enhance security of ammunition and weapons storage sites, under a new Co-operation agreement signed today in Sarajevo by the Head of OSCE Mission, Fletcher M. Burton, and Zekerijah Osmic, Defence Minister of BiH on behalf of the BiH Council of Ministers.

The Project for Security Upgrade of Ammunition and Weapons Storage Sites in BiH (SECUP BiH) aims to enhance the security infrastructure of four Armed Forces ammunition and weapons storage sites, reduce the risk of weapons and ammunition proliferation and improve national standards for Physical Security and Stockpile Management. It will run until 2015 and is funded by the governments of Switzerland, Turkey, Czech Republic, Denmark and Lichtenstein.

“The risks that old and unstable ammunition pose to the country and its people cannot be overstated,” Burton said. “We must overcome the hurdles that have slowed the destruction process, and significantly reduce the risk of a storage site accident. The people in BiH deserve this.”

The project is part of the continued co-operation in the fields of defence and security between BiH and the OSCE.

The Co-operation agreement signed today is a broad document which will provide a legal basis for a wide range of co-operation initiatives.

“The OSCE assisted the country’s defence reform process from 2003 to 2005. We have worked together on a wide range of security issues, including emerging transnational threats such as terrorism, trafficking in human beings, border management, as well as disaster preparedness and response,” Burton said.  

BiH Defence Minister Osmic said: “In any society, the concept of security should encompass social, economic, and politico-military relations, and no country can be secure without having all of these components in place. The signing of this agreement indicates our readiness to establish optimal models for our country’s security, and to abide by OSCE commitments.”