Šarović with Ministers of Southeast Europe: Pristina's Tariffs Must Be Immediately Abolished

BERLIN, (Patria) - "By introducing customs barriers by Pristina on goods from BiH and Serbia, not only trade but also the stability of the region has been disrupted, because such reckless political moves by the Pristina authorities lead to disintegration processes and regression as a whole", it was emphasized at the meeting of the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH Mirko Šarović with ministers responsible for agriculture and trade of Southeast European countries, held today in Berlin.

Minister Šarović met with the German Minister of Agriculture and Food Julia Klöckner and European Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis, where it was emphasized that unilaterally imposed barriers in mutual trade between CEFTA Agreement countries must be immediately abolished, so as not to jeopardize the progress, integration and development of the Southeast European region.

Minister Šarović emphasized on this occasion that free and fair trade is a crucial issue for the region and that this issue represents much more than an economic issue for all Western Balkan countries.

- By removing trade barriers and promoting cooperation and strengthening ties between the Western Balkan countries, economic growth and the development of society as a whole are promoted and accelerated, and this process has no alternative - emphasized Minister Šarović.

Although there are indications that the authorities in Pristina are already considering the possibility of meeting the demands that have been made from various sides, European Commission and German officials agree that a solution to overcome such disintegrating processes will not be achievable without strong and concrete involvement of the European Commission, including the Federal Republic of Germany as one of the most significant members of the European Union. Minister Šarović informed the interlocutors that, despite the unilaterally imposed trade barriers, Bosnia and Herzegovina has maintained constant communication with the authorities in Pristina, and announced an upcoming meeting and bilateral talks between the two sides with the aim of abolishing the imposed measures.