Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Šefik Džaferović claims that B&H must continue its path towards the European Union, as well as fulfilling the obligations from the Opinion of the European Commission and the adopted Reform Program.

Regional economic market

He met today with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, who is on his first official visit to B&H.

Džaferović said that the need for economic cooperation in the Western Balkans was emphasized at the meeting.

- It is necessary for the countries of the Western Balkans to cooperate economically within the regional economic market, the Berlin Process and under the auspices of the EU - Džaferović emphasized.

He said that he reminded at the meeting that on November 10, 2020, B&H signed a number of documents in Sofia when it comes to regional cooperation.

- Some things need to be clarified when it comes to the initiatives of Belgrade, Tirana and Skopje regarding the Open Balkans. My position is that B&H must go through regional cooperation and that the implementation of documents from Sofia should start - he said.

There will be no unilateral reduction of reforms

Džaferović pointed out that the blockade is absolutely unacceptable, that the institutions must be unblocked immediately and that there is no reduction in the achieved levels of reforms.

We consider it important to look at the relations between B&H and its neighbors in order to resolve open issues.

- It is a border agreement, I think it is necessary to immediately finalize the processes of concluding an agreement on the state border with Serbia and Croatia, as the borders were on the day of the international recognition of B&H - he pointed out.

He emphasized that there will be no unilateral reduction of reforms, interpretation or destruction of reforms, which was confirmed at the meeting, adding that all reforms made in the last 26 years were done within the framework of the Dayton Peace Agreement.

He did not particularly want to comment on the meetings that B&H Presidency member Milorad Dodik had over the weekend with the Prime Ministers of Hungary and Slovenia, Viktor Orban and Janez Janša, emphasizing and that the most important for him is that peace and stability in B&H would be preserved.