site.btaPresident Radev: Need to Give EU, NATO Membership Perspective to Bosnia and Herzegovina Reaffirmed

President Radev: Need to Give EU, NATO Membership Perspective to Bosnia and Herzegovina Reaffirmed

Sofia, June 12 (BTA) - Emerging from a meeting Monday with the visiting Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mladen Ivanic, President Rumen Radev said that the need to give unconditional perspective for EU and NATO membership to Bosnia and Herzegovina has been reaffirmed.

Radev said that Bosnia and Herzegovina can rest assured that the European perspective of the Western Balkans will be one of the priorities during the Bulgarian EU Presidency in the first half of 2018. He said that Bulgaria can help Bosnia and Herzegovina a lot, in respect of meeting the membership criteria, and in respect of obtaining a status of a candidate country to join the EU. Bulgaria can also help Bosnia and Herzegovina in respect of the action plan for NATO membership, Radev said.

The Bulgarian head of state said that Monday's meeting followed up on the active dialogue and successful advancement of relations between the two countries. Radev and Ivanic had discussed challenges before the region such as the slow pace of economic development and the high unemployment, particularly among the young. They discussed challenges to security, the political instability, ethnic tension, the migrant crisis, terrorism, and radicalism.

Of regional integration Radev said that the South-East European Cooperation Process format is right for the two countries and that they will continue to participate actively in the process, doing their best to generate efficient policies. Radev and Ivanic also concurred that the lines of communication should develop from East to West and not only from the South to the North. Radev said: "In this respect we should be more insistent."

Of bilateral cooperation Radev said that the 232 million leva in commercial exchange (roughly 116 million euro) in 2016 was a satisfactory result but the two countries have potential for more. The 100,000 leva in aid extended by Bulgaria for two Bosnian schools had been absorbed in 2016 and the two schools had better infrastructure.

Radev voiced his conviction that cooperation will continue to develop and the goodneighbourly relations between the two countries will provide the foundations to more stable and prosperous Balkans.

For his part, Ivanic said that Bulgaria is a friend of Bosnia and Herzegovina and that this is one of the best examples of cooperation in the Balkans. According to him, the two countries are cooperating well and there are no outstanding issues between them. "In Bulgaria we see a country which has contributed a lot to the political stabilization of Bosnia and Herzegovina," said the Bosnian guest, recalling the missions of Bulgarian peacekeepers.

BiH Presidency Chairman Ivanic said that Bosnia and Herzegovina expects to get closer to the European Union and is the only Balkan country in this part of Europe which is not a EU candidate member despite its desire. Bosnia and Herzegovina is nearing the end of the process for receiving a EU candidate country status and the decision will be taken during Bulgaria's Presidency of the Council of the European Union. "We are hoping that Bulgaria will help Bosnia and Herzegovina to receive a candidate country status, which is extremely important in order to change our image," said Ivanic. He said that the country is in better shape than is believed.

Ivanic underscored the significance of infrastructure connectivity as a condition for the stabilization of the entire Balkan region." I hope that in Bulgaria we'll have one of our principal advocates in Brussels, which through its experience will help our country make the decisive step to get closer to the EU," said Ivanic.

Meeting with Ivanic, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that Bulgaria will remain a champion of the European future of the Western Balkans countries during its presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Borissov voiced conviction that Bosnia and Herzegovina will continue on the road to Euro-Atlantic integration as the only guarantee for stability in the region.

Borissov said that the stepped up cooperation between the institutions of Bulgaria and Bosnia and Herzegovina will lead to more practical achievements in this respect as well as in the international efforts to counter radicalism and terror.

Borissov and Ivanic discussed the development of bilateral relations, underscoring their huge potential.

The two concurred that a joint business forum will open possibilities for partnerships of mutual interest for the two countries.