The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Elmedin Konakovic, participated, at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Italy, Antonio Tajani, at the meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of the Western Balkan countries in Rome.
The sessions discussed the situation in the region and ways to strengthen joint efforts in the areas of security, migration, and strategic communication, as well as the European integration of the countries of the Western Balkans. In addition to the ministers of foreign affairs of the countries of the Western Balkans and the host, the Italian minister Tajani, the meeting was attended by the Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement of the European Union (EU) Oliver Varhelyi and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden Tobias Billstrom, as the country presiding over the Council of the EU.
Candidate status is a positive message to citizens
At the first session of the Ministerial meeting entitled “Process of European integration of the Western Balkans: the way forward”, Minister Konakovic pointed out in his address that the status of a candidate country for EU membership, which BiH recently received, represents a positive message to the citizens that our future is in the EU. He added that it is quite clear that on this European path, our country is expected to carry out the reform process. Konakovic emphasized that the newly formed Council of Ministers of BiH has already taken a number of important and decisive steps with the aim of making progress in implementing the 14 key priorities listed in the Opinion of the European Commission. Moreover, he assessed that BiH has significantly increased its efforts to align with the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU and that since January of this year, that alignment has been 100 percent.
“I can assure you that the process of European integration is at the center of our program and that BiH’s membership in the EU is our strategic goal. We have made significant progress, but we have a series of reforms ahead of us that we must implement in order to fulfill all 14 key priorities. We count on the continued support of the EU, both for our efforts in the search for a political consensus and for providing technical assistance and expertise in adopting the necessary reforms,” said the minister, adding that the current geopolitical situation has increased awareness of the importance of our region on its path towards the EU.
Regional cooperation plays a significant role
In the second session called “EU-Western Balkans: Together we improve our cooperation”, Minister Konakovic spoke about the importance of regional cooperation on the European path. He reiterated that the European perspective of the region is an instrument for preserving and expanding peace, stability, and prosperity for all countries of Southeastern Europe. He assessed that the Russian invasion of Ukraine contributed to raising the EU’s awareness of the strategic importance of the Western Balkans region and that in this context regional cooperation as well as cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkans play an extremely important role. He particularly emphasized the importance of the Berlin Process and the cooperation of the countries of the Western Balkans. He added that BiH will continue to be a constructive partner to all its neighbors, committed to promoting peace, stability, security, and prosperity in the region, as well as to strengthening regional cooperation and building trust in the region.
After the ministerial meeting, the conference “New vision of the Western Balkans: EU accession and regional security” was held in Rome, a public diplomacy event organized by the Institute for International Affairs in cooperation with OBC Transeuropa, Avaz reports.
E.Dz.
