Vucic invites members of Presidency of Bosnia to Belgrade

Vucic invites members of Presidency of Bosnia to Belgrade

This is the first visit of a Serbian president to Bosnia-Herzegovina in six years.

After his face-to-face meeting with the members of the Presidency - representing Serbs, Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims), and Croats - Vucic and the current chair of the Presidency, Dragan Covic, addressed reporters.

The Western Balkans could create a regional economic zone and combined be a significant economic partner to the EU, even stronger than some EU member states individually, Vucic said, according to Beta, and reiterated that Serbia respected the territorial integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina and favored strengthening political, economic and other ties between the two states.

Vucic said he had invited members of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency to visit Belgrade before the end of the year.

"Serbia is a friend to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we will act as a friend and you will be able to see that in the months and years that lie ahead," he said.

Dragan Covic said that the visit to marked a new era of relations between the Bosnian Presidency and the president of Serbia.

Covic said economic topics had been discussed with the delegation from Serbia, the question of borders as well as joint infrastructure and energy projects between the two states.

According to the visit's previously announced agenda, Vucic on Thursday also met with the leadership of the East Sarajevo municipality, and toured construction works on the East Sarajevo Hospital site, and visited the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral Church in Sarajevo.

On the second day of the visit, he spoke with the members of the Collegium of both houses of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia-Herzegovina and met with the chair of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Denis Zvizdic.

"I wish to say, especially for the sake of the Bosniak media, that there's not reason for anyone to be making Serbia into the bogeyman. Serbia is a sincere friend to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Try to understand Serbia, try to sometimes walk in our shoes and you will see to what degree I have been telling the truth," Vucic told a joint news conference.

Zvizdic said that economic and trade relations between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia are a priority, and that he "agrees we should move toward two billion euros in trade exchange."

Zvizdic announced a joint meeting in Belgrade, likely in November, of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Serbian Government.