Deputy Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Gives Messages on the EU Bosnia and Herzegovina too considers the EU progress report dissatisfactory.
ANKARA – Speaking at a meeting organized by TEPAV, Dr. Zlatko Lagumdzija, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, stated that although political leaders in his country were in dispute on a number of issues, EU accession was a matter that the entire country agreed on. He said, “European Union is a top priority for me.”
Lagumdzija delivered a keynote address titled “Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Way to European Union” during the meeting organized by TEPAV and held at the TOBB University of Economics and Technology Senate Hall. He expressed that cooperation with neighboring countries and membership to NATO were among the policy priorities while EU accession was the top priority of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During the meeting moderated by TEPAV Foreign Policy Analyst Dr. Erhan Türbedar, Minister Lagumdzija underscored that in spite of the disputes on many issues, all political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina agreed on the importance and priority of the EU membership.
Lagumdzija said, "Although we have our disputes, European Union accession is a subject we all agree on and prioritize. For me, European Union is a target, a priority. Joining the European Union is a top priority for me. It is a tool to transform ourselves and our society.”
“The progress report is unacceptable”
He stressed that the accession process would take a long time although the country was working hard to meet the criteria and maintained that the 2012 Progress Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina was unacceptable. He continued:
"The report argues that we did not make any progress in any area; that all countries of the region progressed in accession criteria while Bosnia and Herzegovina failed. In other words, the report claims, Bosnia and Herzegovina is crawling but others are making process. The report is definitely unsatisfactory."
Expressing his appreciation for the engagement of Turkish businesspeople in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he drew attention to the rising bilateral trade between the two countries. He noted that many Turkish companies invested to Bosnia and Herzegovina with the support of the Turkish Eximbank. He stated: “Turkish companies made a large contribution to the solution of infrastructural problems. They have now advanced to the energy sector. Soon, with new contracts with our Turkish friends, we will export many products to Turkey. One decade ago, I couldn’t imagine that our trade volume with Turkey will grow as large as it is today.”
The meeting ended after the contributions and questions of the audience.
