Ministers of six EU countries sign statement: Open negotiations with BiH by the end of the year

(Patria) - On the sidelines of the NATO ministerial meeting, the ministers of Croatia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia met to express their lasting commitment and support for Bosnia and Herzegovina on its path to European integration.

"We emphasize the political necessity of ensuring the opening of accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina by the end of this year.

Since Bosnia and Herzegovina obtained candidate status for EU membership, it has taken important steps and commitments towards fulfilling key priorities.

In the current geopolitical context, any delay in the decision to start EU accession negotiations could further exacerbate instability in the region and result in a loss of positive momentum.

We are ready to ensure our continued political, technical and financial support to Bosnia and Herzegovina for undertaking key reforms during the process.

We reiterate that enlargement is not a choice between candidate countries, but our common strategic interest that will bring much-needed stability and security to the European continent," the joint statement reads.