17 March 2021

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selakovic met today in Sarajevo with the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Zoran Tegeltija to discuss bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

At the meeting, readiness was expressed to promote and intensify the political dialogue. The collocutors agreed that the economic relations between Serbia and BiH were very good, but that there was room for enhancing cooperation and joint participation on third markets. As it was stated at the meeting, Serbia and BiH were among each other's most important economic partners.

Minister Selakovic emphasized that joint infrastructure projects were important for developing cooperation and connecting the two countries and all their citizens, and he underlined the motorway to connect Belgrade and Sarajevo as a priority. According to the Minister, having in mind the situation during the fight against the coronavirus and the vaccination process, the "mini-Schengen" initiative had become particularly important, given the great potential benefits for all countries in the Western Balkans and savings on customs and border procedures.

Selakovic emphasized that BiH had an open invitation to consider joining the "mini-Schengen" initiative, which, as he reminded, aimed to facilitate the movement of people, goods, services and capital in the region. Minister Selakovic and Tegeltija also discussed cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, and the Chairman of the BiH Council of Ministers congratulated Serbia on the successful vaccination process and expressed gratitude for the support and assistance to all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the pandemic. The Serbian Foreign Minister thanked for the principled position of BiH concerning the issue of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia and with regard to Pristina's requests for membership in international organizations.

Minister Selakovic said that Serbia had an essential interest in the stability of BiH and that, as a guarantor of the Dayton Accords, it supported every agreement reached by the two entities and the three constituent peoples.