Members of the B&H Presidency today received the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Italy, Luigi Di Maio.

Members of the Presidency welcomed the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Italy and thanked him for the bilateral visit, despite the conditions aggravated by the coronavirus pandemic.

They also expressed gratitude for Italy's continued interest in developing good and friendly relations with B&H, which is also due to the dedicated engagement of Ambassador Nicola Minasi and the Italian Embassy in B&H, who was part of today's delegation.

The participants in the meeting exchanged information on the political processes caused by the pandemic and on ways to combat the spread of COVID-19, as well as on the problems in the process of procuring COVID vaccines.

They also discussed the need for EU support to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkans in the fight against the pandemic, not only in response to the humanitarian and health crisis but also in mitigating the socio-economic consequences.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Italy said that Italy advocates for the enlargement of the EU to the Western Balkans and the continuation of the process of reforms and European integration of B&H.

They emphasized the importance of the continuous support of the Republic of Italy within the EU in the next steps of Bosnia and Herzegovina's accession to the EU, and the continuation of the fulfillment of 14 key priorities from the Opinion of the European Commission.

The Presidency members said that B&H, as a maritime country, wants to make a constructive contribution to all processes concerning the protection of the Adriatic Sea as a common good.

The two sides pointed out that Italy is one of the most important partners of B&H in the framework of economic cooperation and foreign trade. Special emphasis was placed on the participation of young people from B&H and the Western Balkans in the processes within the EU, which concern the future of the EU and the Western Balkans as an integrated part of the EU.

The migrant crisis and the ​​security aspect were also discussed, as well as the provision of conditions for the coordination of migration processes, stated the B&H Presidency.