“Faced with external interference and veiled threats formulated against your country, regarding its possible membership in the European Union or NATO, you can count on the support of France and the European Union,” stated Catherine Colonna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of France in response to a letter sent to her Bisera Turkovic, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Colonna recently assumed the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs of France and points out that she is following the events in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkans region with particular attention, “especially in the context of Russian aggression against Ukraine.”
“In this sense, I would like to welcome your activities in order to favor the harmonization of the positions of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the European positions regarding the conflict in Ukraine, despite the internal situation, which I know is particularly complex. Solidarity in times of crisis is a fundamental value for membership in to the European Union,” the minister stated.
As she pointed out, at the moment when “Russia’s unjustified actions led to the return of war on the European continent, which caused justified concern in Bosnia and Herzegovina, France assumed its responsibility by strengthening EUFOR Althéae, which is commanded by a French general, and providing air support.”
“Be sure of our commitment to maintaining this operation,” she said.
In her address to Minister Turkovic, she recalled the speech of Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic of France on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, in which he said that “there is no place for denial, for historical revisionism or glorification of convicted war criminals, in a country that expressed its desire to join the European Union, and thus join its values.”
“These are topics that we follow with particular caution. You can count on our determination to work with you for the country’s stability and a common future of peace and prosperity. This requires the accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European Union, a goal that France fully supports. The European Council that was in session On June 23 and 24, it announced that it is ready to grant candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is an important step. At the same time, it is necessary to implement the obligations from the political agreement concluded on June 12 in Brussels, which can only favor Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European path.” , stated Minister Colonna, expressing hope for a meeting with Minister Turkovic soon, it was published on Minister Turkovic’s Facebook page.
Photo: Times of India
