"Good relations carry stability and cooperation"

BELGRADE Serbia's Prime Minister Ivica Dacic met on Friday in Belgrade with Deputy Chairman of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Council of Ministers Zlatko Lagumdzija. Dacic said that good relations between the two countries were one of the pillars of regional stability and cooperation. "Good relations carry stability and cooperation" Serbia's efforts to find a fair solution for the problems in Kosovo through peaceful means and dialogue contribute to stability in the region, according to a statement from the Serbian government office for media relations. Dacic and Lagumdzija said there were good conditions to improve economic cooperation and potential for joint regional appearances on other markets. The road to the European Union is common to both Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina and the two countries should be "racing", but also helping each other on this path, Serbian and Bosnian Foreign Ministers, Ivan Mrkic and Marko Lagumdzija said after their meeting. “Both Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina want to become EU member-states. This process has seen little delays, and my feelings are that we (Serbia) are not always the party most responsible for this,” Mrkic said at a joint press conference with Lagumdzija. He said that he and Lagumdzija discussed the implementation of the action plan on European integration that is based on a memorandum signed during his visit to Sarajevo on December 27, 2012. He added that there will be more meetings on the topic. “Serbia and Bosnia wish each other to enter the EU as soon as possible,” said Lagumdzija. The two countries should first turn to themselves and then to each other “by racing to Brussels,” said Lagumdzija. Mrkic added that Serbia and Bosnia should not only race in the process of European integration, but also go “hand in hand,” helping each other. “Our relations are very dynamic and they show that we desire to create something that will make us inter-connected in such a manner that in the end, we will not be able to function without each other,” said Mrkic, recalling that Serbia and Bosnia state officials held several meetings in the past eight months. The two countries are cooperating in all fields and Bosnia is an important economic partner of Serbia. The two countries want to develop as good political relations as possible, Mrkic said. Lagumdzija said that a lot has been done in the field of bilateral cooperation over the past four months, adding that the relations between Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are often presented in public through the mirror of the so-called “big topics,” problems accumulated through 20 years of joint history. “The process of reconciliation and prosecuting war criminals is still not complete and there has been a lot of turmoil,” said Lagumdzija, recalling that at the end of January, Serbia and Bosnia signed a protocol on cooperation in the prosecution of war crimes. This protocol should demonstrate that the two countries can indeed cooperate and that, eventually, all the war criminals should be held responsible, “first and last names,” before the International Court of Justice and local courts, Lagumdzija said. This should open the process of reconciliation among the people. The Bosnian foreign minister said the fight against systemic corruption is one of the most serious problems both countries need to deal with. Lagumdzija said that he and Mrkic also discussed the implementation of the agreement on succession issues in former Yugoslavia countries and the launch of the Serbia-Bosnia border agreement, in whose signing he participated 11 years ago. The meeting also touched on economic issues. A meeting of the two governments, which was agreed in December 2012, should be held by the end of this year, and besides this session, representatives of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency will come to Belgrade for another meeting, Lagumdzija said. Also planned is a trilateral meeting between Serbia, Bosnia and Turkey, he added. Lagumdzija, who also serves as deputy chairman of the Bosnian Council of Ministers, is on a one-day visit to Belgrade. (Tanjug) Tanjug

"Good relations carry stability and cooperation"

Serbia's efforts to find a fair solution for the problems in Kosovo through peaceful means and dialogue contribute to stability in the region, according to a statement from the Serbian government office for media relations.

Dačić and Lagumdžija said there were good conditions to improve economic cooperation and potential for joint regional appearances on other markets.

The road to the European Union is common to both Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina and the two countries should be "racing", but also helping each other on this path, Serbian and Bosnian Foreign Ministers, Ivan Mrkić and Marko Lagumdžija said after their meeting.

“Both Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina want to become EU member-states. This process has seen little delays, and my feelings are that we (Serbia) are not always the party most responsible for this,” Mrkić said at a joint press conference with Lagumdžija.

He said that he and Lagumdžija discussed the implementation of the action plan on European integration that is based on a memorandum signed during his visit to Sarajevo on December 27, 2012.

He added that there will be more meetings on the topic.

“Serbia and Bosnia wish each other to enter the EU as soon as possible,” said Lagumdžija.

The two countries should first turn to themselves and then to each other “by racing to Brussels,” said Lagumdžija.

Mrkić added that Serbia and Bosnia should not only race in the process of European integration, but also go “hand in hand,” helping each other.

“Our relations are very dynamic and they show that we desire to create something that will make us inter-connected in such a manner that in the end, we will not be able to function without each other,” said Mrkić, recalling that Serbia and Bosnia state officials held several meetings in the past eight months.

The two countries are cooperating in all fields and Bosnia is an important economic partner of Serbia. The two countries want to develop as good political relations as possible, Mrkić said.

Lagumdžija said that a lot has been done in the field of bilateral cooperation over the past four months, adding that the relations between Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are often presented in public through the mirror of the so-called “big topics,” problems accumulated through 20 years of joint history.

“The process of reconciliation and prosecuting war criminals is still not complete and there has been a lot of turmoil,” said Lagumdžija, recalling that at the end of January, Serbia and Bosnia signed a protocol on cooperation in the prosecution of war crimes.

This protocol should demonstrate that the two countries can indeed cooperate and that, eventually, all the war criminals should be held responsible, “first and last names,” before the International Court of Justice and local courts, Lagumdžija said.

This should open the process of reconciliation among the people.

The Bosnian foreign minister said the fight against systemic corruption is one of the most serious problems both countries need to deal with.

Lagumdžija said that he and Mrkić also discussed the implementation of the agreement on succession issues in former Yugoslavia countries and the launch of the Serbia-Bosnia border agreement, in whose signing he participated 11 years ago.

The meeting also touched on economic issues.

A meeting of the two governments, which was agreed in December 2012, should be held by the end of this year, and besides this session, representatives of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency will come to Belgrade for another meeting, Lagumdžija said.

Also planned is a trilateral meeting between Serbia, Bosnia and Turkey, he added.

Lagumdžija, who also serves as deputy chairman of the Bosnian Council of Ministers, is on a one-day visit to Belgrade.