Serbian National Assembly speaker visits Sarajevo

Serbian National Assembly speaker visits Sarajevo

The decision that the first visit by the speaker of the new parliament should be to Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) is a testimony to the great importance we attach to the country as one of the key partners in the region, Gojkovic said.

At a meeting with Mladen Bosic and Safet Softic, chairmen of the House of Representatives and the House of the Peoples of the Bosnia and Herzegovina parliament, Gojkovic said she expected top-level meetings to encourage more intense inter-parliamentary cooperation and help the development of overall bilateral relations, an official statement said.

Gojkovic noted the need for mutual support in the European integration process and regional cooperation, experience-sharing in implementing internal reforms and cross-border and regional youth cooperation.

Serbia and the BiH share a common goal and commitment - EU membership, Gojkovic said, welcoming the initialling of an adapted EU-BiH Stabilization and Association Agreement and the opening of Chapters 23 and 24 in Serbia's EU accession talks.

Economic cooperation is a significant segment in Serbia-BiH relations and the possibilities for it are ample, she said.

Bosic said Gojkovic's visit would take relations and mutual understanding to an even higher level, noting that a better future and prosperity were a common interest of all peoples in the region.

Meetings of parliamentary officials are an opportunity to send a message of a wish for stability and good-neighborly relations, which is a common objective, Softic said.

The members of the Collegium of the BiH parliament urged development of cooperation at parliamentary level in the coming period - in particular in European integration - as well as in the economy and the fight against crime, corruption and terrorism.

"Significant partner"

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is one of Serbia's most significant political and economic partners in the region, while EU membership is a priority shared by the two countries, Maja Gojkovic said at meetings with senior officials of Bosnia-Herzegovina in Sarajevo on Monday.

The chairman of the BiH Presidency, Bakir Izetbegovic, said Serbia-BiH relations were developing in a positive direction but that there was room to enhance them, noting that "peace and stability are what we owe to our citizens."

Gojkovic, who is on her first visit after being re-elected as parliament speaker, had separate meetings with Izetbegovic and the Chairman of the BiH Council of Ministers Denis Zvizdic.

She noted Serbia and its parliament were ready for further improvement of bilateral relations, good-neighborly cooperation and political dialogue and that meetings and regular contacts could strengthen cooperation in many domains, particularly in European integration, the economy and regional affairs.

Zvizdic highlighted a positive trend in Serbia-BiH relations, in particular in view of mutual support in European integration and economic cooperation, noting that cooperation could be enriched in other fields as well, such as culture, sport and youth cooperation.