Čović meets Grabar-Kitarović behind closed doors: On BiH's path to the EU and the Croatian issue

Member of the BiH Presidency Dragan Čović met on the sidelines of the Brdo-Brijuni meeting with the President of the Republic of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, announced the BiH Presidency, reports the news agency Patria.

Čović discussed with the President of the Republic of Croatia the further improvement of relations between the two countries, which historically and in regional-political terms are strongly oriented towards mutual solidarity and fostering good neighborly relations. This particularly refers to the necessity of advancing the Euro-Atlantic perspective as a strategic foreign policy interest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and lasting regional stability as a strategic interest of the Republic of Croatia, the countries of the region, and the European Union. In this regard, the Republic of Croatia continuously provides strong support for the European path of Bosnia and Herzegovina, both bilaterally and at the level of European Union institutions.

The common assessment is that BiH has made significant progress on its European path in the past period, but that many obligations still lie ahead, and it is necessary to further intensify the reform dynamics based on a well-intentioned internal political dialogue aimed at strengthening the European perspective.

Relations in Bosnia and Herzegovina are important for regional stability, which is an additional incentive for the careful and systematic resolution of all open issues that burden internal relations and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. Therefore, the implementation of accession obligations must necessarily be accompanied by the consolidation of political relations.

In this context, the interlocutors also addressed the Croatian issue, which is legitimate from the aspect of respect for constitutionality and international norms. In order to achieve full stability and functionality of BiH, genuine equality of all three constituent peoples is necessary.

The establishment of lasting trust is possible only on the foundations of equality and full implementation of constitutionality. This inevitably implies institutional guarantees of equality and democratic representativeness in light of relevant European Parliament resolutions which, among other things, call for consistent respect for the principles of democratic federalism, legitimate representation, and decentralized governance.

Croatia, as an extremely sincere and well-intentioned partner, will unreservedly continue to support and assist Bosnia and Herzegovina on its path to full membership in the European Union, the statement reads.