Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Elmedin Konakovic, met yesterday in Zagreb with the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, Gordan Grlic Radman, and the focus of the conversation was BiH’s European path and the European Council’s decision to open European Union (EU) negotiations with our country.
The Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlic Radman, congratulated BiH on what he called a historic achievement, as well as on demonstrating reform capacities that the European Council successfully evaluated.
“It is clear that over time, all important political topics will need to be addressed, including electoral law reform to ensure equality of constituent peoples and the equality of all citizens, the issue of the Constitutional Court, and other issues. The goal is now clearly visible on the horizon, and that is full membership in the EU. This is a path of affirmation, good, interests, satisfaction of life, social, legal, political, and every other security of BiH and its citizens,” said Grlic Radman.
Minister Konakovic thanked the Government of Croatia for the support it has provided to BiH on its European path.
“For us in BiH, the most important message is that compromise and dialogue have paid off and that we have managed, in a difficult political environment, with the interests of other geopolitical powers towards BiH, to put the European narrative in the first place. We have defined the European path, we have a map, we have entered that European train, and it is up to us to continue, based on this enthusiasm, to address the more difficult issues that have long been standing in BiH. The Dayton Peace Agreement brought us much-needed peace, but it also left us with a complex political scene in which anyone who wants and whenever they want can block whatever they want. We can consider this a small miracle in BiH, which would not have been possible without our friends,” said Konakovic.
He reminded that BiH has been fully aligned with the foreign security policy of the EU for the past 13 months, despite many challenges.
“In economic terms, BiH has no alternative to the EU. We export 93 percent of our products to the EU and countries aspiring to European membership annually,” emphasized Konakovic, adding:
“BiH can be a bridge between East and West, but we need access to the European market, which is a challenge that needs to be overcome through future reforms.”
Photo: Fena
