Selmo Cikotić
| Selmo Cikotić | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Selmo Cikotić entering The Pentagon in 2007 | |
| Minister of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
| In office 22 April 2007 – Incumbent | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 25, 1964 Berane, Montenegro |
| Nationality | Bosniak |
| Political party | SDA |
| Alma mater | University of Sarajevo |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Military service | |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Commands | Operational group Zapad 1st Corps of the Federation Army |
Selmo Cikotić (born January 25, 1964) is a politician of Bosnia and Herzegovina, member of the Party of Democratic Action, and former Army officer. He is the current Minister of Defence, a post he was appointed to in February 2007, but unable to take up officially until 22 April 2007, when a ban on former army officers performing defence-related civilian duties expired.[1]
In February 1993 he was made commander of operational group Zapad of the 3rd Corps of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Bugojno.
Cikotić served as the military attaché at the embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United States in Washington, D.C. from December 1994 to 1997. As Brigadier General he was enrolled at the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in June 1997, before being expelled as a result of unconfirmed accusations made by Croatian officials that he commanded soldiers who killed and tortured people in and around Bugojno.[2]
From 2000 to 2004 he was the Commander of the 1st Corps of the Federation Army, and from 2004 to 2007 CEO of OKI in Sarajevo.
In June 2007 he jointly attended a Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council at the NATO headquarters in Brussels with the Serbian defence minister Dragan Šutanovac, together they expressed their governments' wish to join NATO as soon as possible.[3]
In March 2008 he led a five member delegation to Pakistan, to discuss "bilateral cooperation between the two Muslim countries".[4]
Cikotić has a master's degree from the University of Sarajevo in 2004 and is fluent in English.
References
- ↑ "Bosnia Gets New Government Four Months After Elections". Journal of Turkish Weekly. 10 February 2007. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
- ↑ Weiner, Tim (June 28, 1997). "Allegations Halt Army Training For Bosnian General in the U.S.". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
- ↑ "Former Balkan war opponents aspire to NATO "as soon as possible"". International Herald Tribune. June 14, 2007. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
- ↑ "Bosnian defence team arrives". Daily Times. March 24, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
Selmo CIKOTIC was born on January 25, 1964, in Berane, Montenegro. Upon completing elementary school at his birthplace, he attended Military High school in Belgrade, and finished it 1982. Having graduated from former Yugoslav Military Academy in 1986 (air defense branch) he began his professional officer career, acting as a commander and teacher of reserve officer cadets at Air Defense School Center at Zadar. 1990/91 school year he completed English language school at JNA Foreign Languages School Center in Belgrade. During the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina he performed different military assignments, including the duty of a Battalion commander, Operational group (division size) commander and the Corps chief of staff. He, also, acted as a Liaison officer of BH Supreme Command with UNPROFOR Command in Sarajevo, for three months, during the first year of the war. From the end of 1994 until June 1997, he served as the Defense Attaché of Bosnia and Herzegovina to The USA, in Washington DC, where he participated at Dayton peace talks, as a member of Bosnia and Herzegovina state delegation, negotiating the military aspects of the Overall framework agreement. Afterwards, from August 1997, till January 1999, he worked as the Chief of Doctrine, Education and Training Division of B&H Federation Military. Then, he was assigned as the Chief of personal staff of B&H Federation Deputy Defense Minister. From April until November 2000 he acted as the 1st corps of Federation Military Deputy Commander and then as a Commander of the same corps, from November 2000 until April 2004, when he retired from military service with the rank of brigadier. In the aftermath of his military career he worked for three years in a private construction company OKI Sarajevo as CEO. From April 22, 2007 up to March 5, 2012 he was assigned to the position of the Defense Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dr. Selmo Cikotic is currently the Dean of American School of Government at American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina and teaches “International public law” and “Theory and practice of political and economic diplomacy”. For last two years he works as a visiting fellow at Geneva Center for Security Policy and teaches “National Security Policies and Strategies” and “Leadership” at doctoral studies at Sarajevo University.
From 2000 he attended Postgraduate studies at The Sarajevo University Faculty of Political Sciences and earned MA degree in security and defense. The title of his MA theses was: „Possibilities of Transfer of Compatible Solutions from USA Security System to the Security System of B&H“. He defended his PhD theses under the title: “SECURITY PROSPECTS OF BOSNIA AND HERCEGOVINA” in July 2008. In May 2009 he was elected Docent for Politics and Strategies of National Security at Faculty of Political Sciences at Sarajevo University. He published a number of articles, translated a lot of military field manuals and studies, from English to Bosnian. His two books, “THE USA – BIH, POSSIBLE TRANSFER OF SECURITY SOLUTIONS” and “SECURITY PROSPECTIVES OF BOSNIA AND HERCEGOVINA” were published in 2010.
Selmo is married with Tanja and they have got two children – daughter Nela – twenty one, and son Kenan who is seventeen.