The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković, spoke today in Sarajevo with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Greece, George Gerapetritis. They jointly assessed that the bilateral relations between the two countries are good and without unresolved issues, and confirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in various fields, such as economy, energy, tourism…
Once again, Greece’s determination to strongly support BiH on its way to the European Union was confirmed.
It was also announced that direct flights between Sarajevo and Athens will be re-established from October.
Minister Konaković thanked Greece and Minister Gerapetritis for their support to Bosnia and Herzegovina on its European path.
“This formation of the seven countries of friends of the Western Balkans has done so much to promote the real situation in the Western Balkans and they brought this topic closer to their colleagues in the EU,” Konaković said.
He noted that Greece will assume the presidency of the European Union in the second part of 2027, and that this visit is on track, apart from good bilateral relations, and preparations for the presidency.
We have very good bilateral relations, we don’t have any open questions. The economies, as we talked about today, are solid, but they can be even more secure and much better – said Konaković.
He added that they also discussed the reconstruction of the Sarajevo-Athens airline, which should take place, noting that seasonal flights to Thessaloniki have begun.
“There are many joint activities in the segment of agreements that we signed earlier. We have more than 20 bilateral agreements with Greece. Some are now in the implementation phase and it is really a very good cooperation”, assessed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH.
Konaković informed his Greek colleague about the current political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially the issue of the OHR and the high representative, the importance of the OHR remaining with all the powers in BiH, “which we hope will not be used, but that domestic politicians will agree on what are the most important priorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina”.
“Once again, I reminded about the total export of which about 93 percent, I think even more, goes to the European Union, member countries and candidate countries, which once again confirms the importance of the European process. I explained the complex side of the Dayton Agreement, in which some political party under the control of Russia and Moscow can stop the entire process in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in order to bring our friends in the EU closer to this complex way of making decisions within our country,” said Konaković.
The ministers also discussed current topics on the world scene.
“We are all happy about the agreement that America and Iran signed. We hope for the implementation of that agreement. One very important topic opens up in the segment of natural gas, LNG gas, in which Greece has become one of the world’s most important factors, the crossroads of solving these energy problems,” said Konaković.
He reminded that the only source of gas for BiH is still Russian gas that comes via the Turkish stream. He noted that in 2028, we will not have Russian gas allowed, if the regulations adopted by the European Union remain in force, and we must find some solutions.
“I think that very soon we will open formal discussions with Greece about some solutions that could solve this problem, because I do not believe that we can build and fully put the Southern Interconnection into operation in a year and a half. With the best will of all of us in Bosnia and Herzegovina and American investors, we certainly need more time for this type of implementation,” Konaković said.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, George Gerapetritis, said that they discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, as well as issues of regional cooperation.
He stated that BiH is one of the countries of the Western Balkans for which European integration is a key political goal.
“It is a well-known fact and the friends of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina know it better than anyone else, what can be the consequences of extremism, nationalism, revisionism, that is something we must avoid,” he said.
He added that “we cannot ignore the thorny path of history, but we must concentrate on what unites us, the connection of people from the region, a similar mentality both on the political and human level.” We are able to talk and understand each other despite our differences.
“It is high time that the countries of the region take advantage of the opportunity and become an area of peace and prosperity and as a key area of European security. Achieving these goals will depend on the region’s path towards European integration,” believes Gerapetritis.
He pointed out that Greece, as the oldest member of the European Union in the region, strongly supports the European perspective of the Western Balkans since the summit in Thessaloniki in 2003.
“The enlargement process is the top European priority again and this is something that works for both the countries of the Western Balkans and the European Union. European integration is based on the principle of conditionality and merit. It is necessary to fulfill all the necessary criteria in accordance with the acquis of the EU, the principles of the rule of law, international law and good neighborly relations. However, this is a political process and we must enable this process of enlargement at the political level,” said the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs.
He pointed out that the integration of the Western Balkans was placed high on the agenda of Greece’s presidency of the European Council in the second half of 2027.
We will work hard, he added, to achieve tangible results by the end of this presidency.
He confirmed that Greece is ready to provide all technical assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina on its way to Europe.
“As far as regional events are concerned, we greatly value our cooperation within the Regional Council for Cooperation, whose seat is in Sarajevo. This framework also provides additional opportunities for strengthening regional coordination and cooperation,” said Minister Gerapetritis.
He said that part of the conversation was focused on bilateral relations between BiH and Greece.
“We are among the small number of nations that do not have any unresolved issues. We have confirmed a very good level and potential for further development in many areas. We will strengthen cooperation in the economy, trade, investments and in the great challenge of our time, which is energy resilience and diversification. We have also explored opportunities to improve cooperation in areas where there is great potential for development, tourism, culture and education,” said the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In order to develop this sector as well, he pointed out, we must have regular connections, traffic connections.
“I am very glad that direct flights between Sarajevo and Athens will be re-established from October,” said Minister Gerapetritis, Fena writes.
