Minister Fidan: Close relations between Bosnia and Croatia are vital for lasting peace in the region

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated at the press conference held after the Turkey-Bosnia and Herzegovina-Croatia Trilateral Consultation Mechanism meeting, "I would like to reaffirm our unwavering support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and political unity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I expressed our concern regarding the ongoing divisive rhetoric and actions in Bosnia during this meeting. We believe that the close relations between Bosnia and Croatia are of vital importance for lasting peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the rest of the region."

In his speech, Minister Fidan expressed his pleasure in attending the meeting and said, "First of all, I would like to thank my colleague Radman for hosting the meeting during this important period for our region and beyond. Likewise, I would like to thank my colleague, my counterpart and brother Elmedin Konaković once again for his valuable contributions to the meeting." Fidan added, "We held productive discussions with the aim of developing ties between the three countries and taking our regional cooperation further. We believe that the close relations between Bosnia and Croatia are of vital importance for lasting peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the rest of the region."

'I EXPRESSED OUR CONCERN REGARDING THE ONGOING DIVISIVE RHETORIC AND ACTIONS IN BOSNIA'

Fidan stated, "In today's meeting, we addressed many different issues, including the latest political developments in Bosnia as well as concrete projects that we hope will contribute to the economic development of our region," and included the following sentences in his statement:

"Our position is extremely well known by all parties in Bosnia and the region. I would like to reaffirm once again our unwavering support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and political unity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I also expressed our concern regarding the ongoing divisive rhetoric and actions in Bosnia during this meeting. I believe that creating an environment of consensus is important for us to move forward," he said. Stating that they also touched upon connectivity and infrastructure projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, Fidan said, "We truly had extremely productive exchanges of ideas. As Turkey, we want to hold these meetings more regularly. We believe this is an important format for taking ownership of regional issues and developing cooperation."

'STRENGTHENING OUR RELATIONS PLEASES US ALL'

Croatian Foreign Minister Radman recalled that they were holding the 9th Turkey-Bosnia and Herzegovina-Croatia Trilateral Consultation Mechanism meeting and said, "We held the previous meeting in Turkey, in Antalya, in November 2020. Today, we decided that this trilateral format is extremely useful for constructive political engagement. It is an extremely productive format for building mutual trust and increasing cooperation between our countries. We decided that a safe, stable, and prosperous Western Balkan region, together with its European Union membership perspective, will contribute to our common strategic interest. At the same time, I expressed that Croatia evaluates the European Council's decision to start accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina as positive. We hope that this positive atmosphere will be maintained and that the first intergovernmental council meeting to be held with Bosnia and Herzegovina will take place in a very short time." Minister Radman stated, "I already held very productive meetings with Minister Hakan Fidan during my official visit in January of this year. I expressed that Croatia considers Turkey a very important European Union partner and a candidate country for the European Union, and sees it as a NATO ally. Furthermore, the gradual development and strengthening of our political relations pleases us all immensely. We have been continuing with a dynamic and very productive relationship for the last 3 years. On this occasion, I would like to thank Minister Fidan for Turkey's contributions within the framework of our OECD membership. Turkey's contributions in this regard will be extremely important. Again, there is significant potential for economic cooperation in some very important areas and in many different fields. Many Turkish companies see Croatia as an investment target and evaluate it as an attractive investment country. They are involved in important projects in Croatia in many different sectors such as tourism, global energy and banking, infrastructure, and construction."

Bosnian Foreign Minister Konaković said, "This is truly a very important meeting for conveying the right messages at the right time. Croatia is the country with which we have a border of more than a thousand kilometers, our longest border. It is truly a very important neighbor of ours. Radman and the Croatian government have continued to support Bosnia and Herzegovina in the historical process and the process of starting negotiations, and this is extremely important for Bosnia and Herzegovina. We made an important decision in Brussels. I thank you for these contributions as well." Konaković said, "Turkey is a country that Bosnia and Herzegovina truly sees as a friend and brother. We have special relations. We have traditional, historical, and deep-rooted relations. I would also like to express that we have excellent levels of economic and commercial relations with both countries. These are extremely important for our common future." Stating that they are evaluating new opportunities, Konaković said, "We are discussing areas where we can cooperate more closely. We are evaluating many different areas such as education, economy, infrastructure, energy, and the defense industry, and we believe that there are important opportunities for development in this sense. We decided to organize these meetings almost every year if possible. We believe that this will continue in the coming years. Coming together and sharing information was extremely important. Bosnia and Herzegovina thinks that the stability of the region is a priority for the region. It is extremely important not only for foreign policy but also in many different contexts. As my colleague Gordan stated, my first visit was to Croatia, Montenegro, and this region. We see Turkey again as a part of Europe, as a very important country. We have very important neighborly relations. We have important investment efforts for the European Union. This is, of course, important for our territorial integrity and sovereignty. I also thank my colleagues for their support regarding the decision taken at the United Nations regarding Srebrenica. This was an important process that did not just affect anyone, but actually affects the future of the world. We carried out a very important process for our country."