FM Kovač: New government will continue intensive cooperation with Bosnia

(Hina) - Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is Croatia's most important neighbour and Croatia's new government will continue to intensively cooperate with that country

(Hina) - Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is Croatia's most important neighbour and Croatia's new government, after Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković is given a vote of no confidence and the parliamentary majority is reshuffled, will continue to intensively cooperate with that country, helping it on its path to EU membership, Croatian Foreign Minister Miro Kovač said in Banja Luka on Thursday.

He was speaking to the press after meeting with Bosnian Foreign Minister Igor Crnadak on the fringes of a Central European Initiative (CEI) conference. Kovač said this was his fourth visit to BiH and that this showed "that we care about cooperation, that BiH is our most important neighbour."

 "We will form a new government and continue cooperating intensively with our friends in Bosnia and Herzegovina and help that country to embark on the path of EU integration as soon as possible," Kovač said.

Crnadak said that he spoke with his Croatian counterpart about bilateral relations, highlighting the two most important elements: the completion of procedures related to the agreement on European partnership and an agreement on joint government meetings.

Minister Kovač said that the two countries were close to signing an agreement on European partnership and Crnadak explained that he expected it to be signed by the end of July. "I hope that at our next bilateral meeting in Zagreb we will sign that agreement," Crnadak said.

He added that that would create a formal framework for the continuation of support to Bosnia and Herzegovina on its European path.

"We agreed that we will hold a joint session of the two governments," Crnadak said.

"Naturally, at the moment it's not possible to specify an exact date but what is important is that we remain determined to make it happen and that the two countries continue resolving all issues through bilateral talks, in a good atmosphere and to the benefit of the peoples of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina."

Crnadak hosted the ministerial meeting of the Central European Initiative in Banja Luka seeing that Bosnia and Herzegovina is chairing the initiative this year. Next year, the chairmanship will be taken over by Belarus.

The CEI meeting discussed regional cooperation and its impact on countries in the process of accessing the European Union, the migrant crisis, the fight against terrorism and the CEI action plan for 2017 -2020, which should be adopted by the end of the year, Crnadak told reporters after the meeting.

The conference is taking place at a key moment for Bosnia and Herzegovina when it comes to its EU path, he said, underscoring the importance of support by CEI member states to Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly Italy, one of the founders of the CEI.

Member states of the CEI are Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia and Ukraine.

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