Serbia, Bosnia need stronger ties, leaders agree

SOURCE: TANJUG
BELGRADE -- Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić welcomed in Belgrade on Tuesday members of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency Nebojša Radmanović and Bakir Izetbegović.


 

(Tanjug)

(Tanjug)
They agreed that the two countries should in the future share even stronger ties, adding that "the events from the 20th century must never be allowed to happen again."

During a joint news conference, Izetbegović said that Serbia and Bosnia have the reasons and interests to work on the improvement of mutual relations.

The Serbian president said that the talks held so far are based on the further cooperation between Serbia and Bosnia, adding that he expects the two countries to share even stronger connections in the future.

As a guarantee of the Dayton Treaty, Serbia wishes Bosnia peace, stability and the best possible development in terms of economy and all other areas, Nikolić said and added that Serbia wants to help Bosnia on this path. Serbia is always there for Bosnia and it will provide assistance if need be, but we would like to see the two entities resolve their problems and cooperate on their own, Nikolić said.

Recalling that the third member of the Bosnian Presidency, Croat representative Željko Komšić, did not want to visit Serbia, Nikolić expressed the hope that this problem would be resolved soon and that communication would be resumed, and added that not a single meeting between Serbia and Bosnia would be cancelled from now on.

The three officials said that there should be no more disagreements and lack of understanding between them.

Nikolić said that he heard out the remarks concerning his interpretation and comments on the previous events and relations.

“I sincerely wish all the best to Bosnia and as the Serbian president, I will continue caring for Republika Srpska (Serb Republic entity),” Nikolić said and noted that the clashes stopped 18 years ago and wounds should now heal so that scars would not be visible. He added that Serbia is willing to cooperate so as to ensure that "sins are forgiven."

"Komšić did not come, but I did - it is better to discuss and say certain things face to face," Izetbegović said.

"I am satisfied with my conversation with Tomislav Nikolić," he added.

Radmanović said that this visit, which takes place in a complex moment for both Serbia and the region, is important for Serbia-Bosnia bilateral relations, but also for the stability of the region as a whole.

Noting that he is visiting Belgrade on Serbian Army Day, Radmanović voiced hope that the VS will act in the interest of peace, and make sure that what happened in the 20th century does not repeat.

He pointed out that Bosnia carefully follows what is happening between Belgrade, the EU and Pristina, and reiterated that Bosnia has not recognised Kosovo's independence.

Stressing that the two countries have a long border, that the mutual trade exceeds a billion euros and that there is a chance for it to increase even more, Radmanović, who is the Serb representative, said that this also is a task for the presidents and that, regardless of the fact that the third member (Komšić) is not in Belgrade, "the Bosnian Presidency is here in its full capacity today," and presents a joint view on future actions.

Izetbegović, the Bosniak (Muslim) member of the presidency voiced hope that the two countries will normalise relations soon, adding, however, that there have been some controversial moments, crises and problems which led to cancellation of visits.

"We therefore need to face the past and what happened in Srebrenica and Sarajevo in order to be able to head towards the future.There is only one state in Bosnia. There are no two Serb states in the Balkans. This is the fact and it will remain so,” Izetbegović concluded.
Prepared by: ARTA TOZAJ