Čović and Cormack Discuss Formation of Stable and Firm Government in BiH

Chairman of the Presidency of BiH Dragan Čović received today the U.S. Ambassador to BiH Maureen E. Cormack, reports the Patria news agency.

The meeting exchanged views on political relations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the results achieved so far on the Euro-Atlantic path, as well as the obligations to be fulfilled in the coming period. Ambassador Cormack expressed satisfaction regarding the decision of the Presidency of BiH to submit an application for membership in the European Union by December 31, 2015, and provided unreserved support for all activities that strengthen the prospects of Bosnia and Herzegovina's membership in the European Union and NATO.

Regarding NATO membership, the need to register the remaining non-perspective military property was highlighted as a basic prerequisite for approving the Membership Action Plan. In this regard, the necessity of strengthening diplomatic efforts in communication with NATO member states was deemed particularly significant, in order to convince them of the positive intentions of BiH's political leadership and inform them of the achieved results.

In the continuation of the conversation, Čović expressed an unequivocal commitment confirmed by the high intensity of implemented and planned activities necessary for the realization of reform processes, with the aim of advancing Bosnia and Herzegovina through the EU accession process, for which it is necessary to ensure a stable parliamentary majority in the Federation of BiH that should enable the passage of important reform laws in that entity, but also at all other levels. The Ambassador welcomed the efforts to create a stable and firm government that will have the capacity to meet the exceptionally large demands awaiting BiH in the coming period.

In the conversation, as one of the challenges, the reform of electoral legislation was singled out, which, along with the implementation of the Sejdić-Finci ruling and the protection of the principle of legitimacy of elections to the Presidency and the House of Peoples, must also enable the implementation of local elections in the City of Mostar, whose citizens have not been able to elect their representatives for many years. In this regard, Dr. Čović expressed readiness to define compromise solutions in the very near future, which will represent an appropriate response to all the mentioned issues.

In addition to the above, the interlocutors agreed on the necessity of eliminating negative phenomena in the education systems in BiH and generally regarding the improvement of the quality of education, in order to bring it closer to European standards.

Ambassador Cormack finally reaffirmed the strong support of the United States for BiH's Euro-Atlantic path, as a guarantee of its stability, security and prosperity, and welcomed the progress achieved so far, the Presidency of BiH announced.