The BiH Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Ana Trišić-Babić spoke in Sarajevo today with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jiří Schneider in Prague about the current events in BiH and of the problems that BiH faces on its path to EU integration.
Trišić-Babić said that a solution in the “Sejdić-Finci” cause must be found, because BiH has to advance towards EU membership now when Croatia becomes a member of the EU.
Schneider has underlined that the Czech Republic supports BiH on its European path, but they must meet the requirements of the Agreement on Cooperation and Association, and added that the Czech Republic supports the proposal for BiH citizens to travel to Croatia with their ID cards after Croatia becomes an EU member on 1 June.
As far as the development assistance of the Czech Republic, Deputy Minister Schneider said that the allocated funds, as well as projects for investments to BiH are burdened with additional costs for customs duty and added value tax. In order to attract foreign investors, BiH would have to simplify existing procedures and get rid of payments for duties and taxes for investors, which is one of the main parameters for EU accession.
They agreed that bilateral relations are very good and without any open issues, but that more meetings should be organized at an expert level with the aim of exchanging experiences in solving active issues.
As part of the contract regulating the relations, the Memorandum on understanding in the area of development cooperation has been extended, and will soon be followed by the singing of an agreement in the fight against crime, terrorism and illegal trade and the Agreement on international road traffic.
In talks is the procedure for the conclusion of the agreement on cultural cooperation, and it was agreed that activities at the conclusion of the Agreement on Technical Cooperation would begin, which would facilitate the realization of the Czech development assistance.
The Czech Republic will support the cooperation of BiH with countries of the Višegrad Group, and it was agreed that cooperation in the area of education that would materialize in the first phase through a pilot project in which the Czech side would participate in not only with representatives of the resource ministry, but also with direct participants.
