Bosnian Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic met in Belgrade with her Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic to discuss relations between the two countries, Klix.ba news portal reports.
During her first official visit to the eastern neighbors, Turkovic said that the representatives of the two countries should talk and that only by talking can resolve misunderstandings.
“There is no reason not to do that. We have good neighborly relations, we have had them so far and we need to nurture them. We need to continue frequent meetings of governments and ministers so that we can resolve issues. For Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is important to open a consulate in Novi Pazar, and there is reciprocity, because we have easily agreed to open consulates in Banja Luka, Mostar and Drvar, “said Turkovic, adding that the process is in the technical phase.
As she said, they discussed the borders and the dangers of migrants in the context of protecting the citizens of both countries. There are issues of austerity and succession, said Turkovic.
“We would like to have more common positions and cooperation. We are all confused because we do not know which documents to bring, whether they will bring us back from the border … we do not need that because the region is small,” the minister said, alluding to easing measures during pandemic.
Ivica Dacic said that he hoped that the current mandates would be marked by the development of interstate relations.
“We believe that our communication during the pandemic was at a high level. We agreed to have regular meetings and annual visits to Belgrade or Sarajevo. We welcome the relaxation and opening of borders and thank BiH for its decision to allow Serbian citizens to enter,” he said.
Dacic concluded that Serbia is essentially interested in stability in the entire region and that it wants good neighborly relations.