Members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina received the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Italy, Antonio Tajani, and the Minister of Europe and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria, Alexander Schallenberg.
They emphasized that the bilateral relations with the two countries are good and friendly, with no open issues, and expressed their gratitude to the ministers for their continued support in the European integration process of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
They especially thanked Italy and Austria for their strong support during the granting of candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina for EU membership.
They welcomed the views of the governments of those two countries that the European perspective of the Western Balkans should be a priority for EU action in the future.
In this context, Ministers Tajani and Schallenberg emphasized the acceleration of BiH’s European path as one of the main goals of their visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
They emphasized their strong support for the reforms that Bosnia and Herzegovina is undertaking on the way to full membership in the EU, and for preserving the security and stability of the region.
The participation of Austria and Italy in the EU mission EUFOR Althea helps to create internal stability and preserve peace and stability, it was said at the meeting.
The members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina pointed out that Bosnia and Herzegovina remains committed to further strengthening regional cooperation and intensifying activities on the realization of key priorities from the European Commission’s Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s application for EU membership.
On the economic front, the Republic of Austria and the Republic of Italy represent one of the largest and most important trade and investment partners in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The members of the BiH Presidency expressed their belief that economic cooperation will continue to develop and improve in mutual interest, the BiH Presidency announced.