Konaković with Fidan: Turkey's contribution in the defense sector in BiH will continue

(Patria) - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Elmedin Konaković met on Thursday in Ankara with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, with whom he discussed developments in the Western Balkans and the Gaza Strip, as well as bilateral relations between the two countries.

After the delegations' meeting, Konaković stated that the volume of exchange between BiH and Turkey could be better, but pointed out that the last year was the best in the history of mutual relations.

"I hope we will continue at this pace. Besides being tied historically, traditionally, brotherly, and friendly, our paths certainly should and must be even more tied by economy," Konaković emphasized.

He added that he informed his Turkish counterpart about the new opportunity that has arisen for BiH, in the context of European integration, and about the efforts undertaken to "deliver the reforms that are being sought from BiH". He also stressed that BiH has perhaps made the greatest progress towards European integration in the last year.

He said that during the talks, they also touched upon the current situation in Gaza, which is facing relentless attacks by Israeli forces.

"I am someone who participated in the defense of BiH, I spent four years defending my homeland, and the images you see today in Gaza, we saw them just 30 years ago in BiH, where genocide was committed in a United Nations protected zone due to the inertia of the entire world and international community. However, unfortunately, those images were not enough for the world to learn a lesson, and they are being repeated today in Ukraine and Gaza," said Konaković.

He expressed hope that the major international players will react quickly and stop the suffering in Gaza and move towards a solution called two states.

Konaković thanked Fidan for Turkey's commitment to the Western Balkans, for its influence not only in BiH but in the entire region.

"For us, regional stability is one of the most important priorities in terms of our foreign policy. I have visited the entire region, talked with leaders in Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, North Macedonia, Slovenia. For us, it is one of the priority issues from the aspect of stability and security," said Konaković.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH also referred to infrastructure projects, among which he highlighted the construction of the Belgrade-Sarajevo highway as the most important, the realization of which was supported by Turkey, i.e., its president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"It is very important to me, and I have discussed this project with Vučić (Aleksandar, ed.) and Dodik (Milorad, ed.), to add a section of the route that goes through Goražde towards Sandžak and thus connect parts of the Balkans that also have historical and traditional relations. We have the agreement of the Serbian president and the president of the BiH entity, and I hope that we will now move forward at full speed with the realization of this large and significant project as well," said Konaković.

In the end, he stated that there is room for developing cooperation in the fields of energy, the military industry, and tourism between BiH and Turkey.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković, will be on an official visit to the Republic of Turkey until November 17.

During his stay in Ankara, Konaković will meet with the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmuş, and the Chairman of the Interparliamentary Friendship Group between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Turkey, Refik Özen.

A visit by Konaković to the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is also planned, where he will sign the Visitors' Book, as well as a visit to the Monument to the Victims of July 15 in the complex of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Hakan Fidan, stated that his country supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that secessionist rhetoric and actions benefit no one and are detrimental to all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Minister Fidan noted the good relations between the two countries, emphasizing that both sides agree that there is room for strengthening relations and cooperation.

One of the topics was also the fight against the terrorist organization FETO, and Fidan emphasized that during the meeting, he conveyed to his colleague Konaković that Turkey expects stronger cooperation and more concrete steps from Bosnia and Herzegovina in the context of the fight against FETO.

"Bosnia and Herzegovina is a key country in the Balkans. The peace and stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina are important for all countries in the region. Turkey is among the countries with the largest number of soldiers in the international military mission responsible for maintaining peace in BiH. In addition, our other contributions in the defense sector will continue in the coming period," said Fidan, noting that his country approaches issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina with a sincere and constructive attitude from an objective perspective.

Fidan emphasized that secessionist rhetoric and actions benefit no one and are detrimental to all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Minister Fidan added that issues in BiH should be resolved by domestic politicians through negotiations and dialogue, without external interventions.