GOGANOVIĆ: HELEZ TERMINATED TRAINING FOR TWO CADETS, DID NOT DISMISS ARMED FORCES MEMBERS

ISTOČNO SARAJEVO, SEPTEMBER 24 /SRNA/ - Deputy Defense Minister in the Council of Ministers Aleksandar Goganović said in a statement to SRNA that Defense Minister Zukan Helez had not dismissed two members of the Armed Forces of BiH, as some reports have suggested, but had instead decided to terminate the training of two cadets.

"A number of established procedures and regulations within the Armed Forces were not observed when the decision was made, nor did my office give its consent, which is why I expect the decision to be challenged before the competent court," Goganović said.

He pointed to what he described as clearly different standards.

"When a Bosniak cadet in Austria refused to shake hands with the defense minister for religious reasons because she was a woman, prompting a strong reaction from the Austrian side, Helez secretly and urgently signed a contract with him. Today, he is terminating the training of two other cadets over the alleged damage to the reputation of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of BiH, citing the code of ethics. These are not the same standards, and that is precisely the essence of the problem," Goganović stressed.

He assessed that the way the case was being handled and presented to the public bore the hallmarks of an election campaign and an attempt to mobilize the right-wing Bosniak electorate.

"I fully support the two cadets, and in the coming days I will meet with them to discuss the protection of their rights and further steps. Republika Srpska stands behind its citizens and will provide them with the necessary support," Goganović said.