Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani had a meeting today with the Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bisera Turković, who has been paying a working visit to the Republic of North Macedonia.
At the meeting, the two ministers voiced their satisfaction with the dynamics under which the ties and cooperation between North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have been developing to date, with the two countries this year celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations. In that context, Ministers Osmani and Turković relayed to each other the willingness of their corresponding countries to intensify inter-sector cooperation and, first and foremost, their economic exchange, seeing as it has not been matching the very good political relations between them.
Osmani congratulated Bosnia and Herzegovina on being granted EU candidate country status, stressing how that fact has sent out a positive signal that the European future of the region is being rounded off.
"Our two countries have a clear EU accession aspiration and last year we achieved serious progress in that regard – our country started accession negotiations, while Bosnia and Herzegovina was granted EU candidate country status. The decision to grant Bosnia and Herzegovina candidate country status was a positive signal to all Western Balkan countries that their European perspective is indeed credible and, as such, it is extremely important for the stability, prosperity, and European future of the entire region", stressed Osmani, relaying to his Bosnian colleague the readiness of North Macedonia to assist Bosnia and Herzegovina on its Euro-Atlantic path and relating domestic reforms.
The two ministers further agreed that the granting of EU candidate country status to Bosnia and Herzegovina represents a clear message to the ongoing secessionist tendencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina which threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.
Minister Osmani informed his Bosnian colleague that, as the incumbent USA – Adriatic Charter (A5) chair, North Macedonia has been working on a new strategic concept for the Charter, designed to both strengthen the role of the A5 in the region, as well as adapt its goals and mission in keeping with newly arising security challenges. To that end, on behalf of their corresponding countries, the two ministers reaffirmed their support for the open-door policy of A5 and its future expansion with new member states.
In addition, Osmani took the opportunity to introduce Bosnian counterpart Turković to the priorities of the ongoing 2023 North Macedonia OSCE Chairpersonship.
"As OSCE chairing country located in this region, we will focus on the work of the OSCE field missions in Southeast Europe particularly. In doing so, we will be paying significant attention to the work of the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina", he underlined in that regard.
Ministers Osmani and Turković concluded their meeting by discussing the need for North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina enhancing their coordination in order for them to become better equipped to respond to contemporary challenges such as the ongoing energy crisis and the preservation of the stability and security of the region.
