The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bujar Osmani, met Friday the Vice Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers and Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bisera Turković, who is paying a working visit to Macedonia.

At the meeting of the two ministers, mutual satisfaction was expressed for the dynamics with which relations and cooperation are developing between Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which this year marks 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. Willingness to intensify sectoral cooperation was expressed, primarily economic exchange, which lags behind in relation to very good political relations.

Osmani congratulated Bosnia and Herzegovina on obtaining candidate status for EU membership, stressing that it is a positive signal in the context of rounding off the European future of the region.

Both countries have a clear aspiration for EU membership, and last year we achieved serious progress – we started the negotiations, and Bosnia and Herzegovina received candidate status. With this decision, a positive signal is being sent for a credible European perspective to all the countries of the Western Balkans, and hence it is extremely important for the stability, prosperity and European future of the entire region, stressed Osmani, expressing Macedonia’s readiness to help Bosnia and Herzegovina in its Euro-Atlantic aspirations and the reforms it needs to implement.

The EU candidate status for Bosnia and Herzegovina is a clear message regarding the secessionist tendencies, which threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

As the current chairperson of the US – Adriatic Charter (A5), Macedonia is working on a new strategic concept of the charter, which should strengthen the role of A5 in the region, but also adapt its goals and missions in accordance with the new security challenges. At the same time, both countries reaffirmed the open door policy of A5 and future expansion with new member states.

Osmani introduced Minister Turković to the priorities of Macedonia’s OSCE chairpersonship.

As a chairperson who comes from the region, a special focus in our work will be the field missions of the OSCE in Southeast Europe. At the same time, significant attention will be paid to the work of the OSCE Mission in BiH, he added.

They also discussed the need for enhanced coordination, which will enable a more adequate response to modern challenges, such as the energy crisis, maintaining the stability and security of the region.