Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to BiH, H.E. Hani bin Abdullah Mominah, Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Sukhrob Khoshmukhamedov and EUFOR Commander in BiH Major General Martin Dorfer visited the Krupa Ammunition Storage Site in Hadžići on Wednesday, 28 November 2018. A visit was attended by BiH Deputy Defence Minister, Borislav Jezerškić, on behalf of the BiH Ministry of Defence.

The visit was organised within EXPLODE+ project to provide an insight into the progress of infrastructure works carried out at the site, with the aim of improving the storage conditions for ordnances and working conditions of the staff of the BiH Armed Forces. Reconstruction of seven ammunition storage facilities is planned on the site, including administrative buildings and road communications, all financed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Improvement of standards at the Krupa ammunition storage site is carried out in accordance with the BiH Ministry of Defence’s plan for Krupa to serve as a pilot location for application of the adopted standards to other ammunition and weapons storage sites. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has financed the infrastructure works on this site, as well the site Kula in Mrkonjić Grad and Teufik Buza Tufo in Visoko, in the total amount of USD 2,952,852.

“I’m very pleased with what I’ve seen. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to provide support to our friendly country of Bosnia and Herzegovina where needed, and we are therefore very happy. In this case, our contribution goes to improving of security standards and storage conditions for ammunition and weapons throughout the territory of BiH, where we see benefits for the BiH Ministry of Defence as well as for all citizens of BiH. I hope that by mid-next year we can come back to the site and see facilities as they are finished, to serve the needs of the BiH Armed Forces in the future,” said the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to BiH, H.E. Hani bin Abdullah Mominah.

“UNDP BiH is committed and working continuously to meet the goals set out in the BiH Armed Forces’ Master Plan for Weapons and Ammunition. This plan, co-ordinated in close co-operation between the BiH Ministry of Defence, EUFOR BH, UNDP and other partners, provides for efficient use of donor resources, providing direct support to the establishment of a sustainable ammunition stockpile management system. The basic preconditions include the disposal of unstable ammunition, and the improvement of security standards and working conditions at storage sites, thus directly enhancing the security of local communities in the immediate vicinity,” said UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Sukhrob Khoshmukhamedov.

EXPLODE+ project, as a multi-donor platform, is implemented by the BiH Ministry of Defence and UNDP, with the support of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Norway, the United States of America, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and EUFOR. EXPLODE + project is a continuation of the EXPLODE project, funded by the European Union since 2013.