 The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, today received the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željko Komšić, on his two-day official visit to Slovenia. After being received with military honours, the two presidents had a one-on-one meeting, followed by plenary talks between the delegation of the Republic of Slovenia and the delegation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, led, respectively, by both presidents.
According to President Türk, relations between the two countries are very good, at both political and economic levels, as well as in all other areas, which is also reflected in regular bilateral political consultations. Dr Türk went on to say that Slovenia supports the European perspective of all successor states of the former Yugoslavia, including Bosnia and Herzegovina. He emphasised that Slovenia strongly advocates the position that Bosnia and Herzegovina be granted the NATO Membership Action Plan as soon as possible, while also making efforts for progress in forging closer ties with the European Union. According to the Slovenian President, major efforts have recently been invested in visa liberalisation between the EU and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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 Presidency Chairman Željko Komšić also expressed his satisfaction with the excellent relations between the two countries, adding that this level of relations needs to be maintained. On his personal behalf and on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Presidency, he thanked President Türk and Slovenia for the political support of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s efforts to join Euro-Atlantic structures, and in particular for Slovenia’s support of visa liberalisation and the granting of the NATO Membership Action Plan. Mr Komšić also expressed his gratitude for Slovenia’s support of non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council of his country for the period 2010–2011.
He also outlined the current political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as his view on the Butmir process, which constitutes a framework for talks on the harmonisation of the package of constitutional amendments between leaders of the main political parties under the auspices of the EU and USA. He went on to point out that the granting of the NATO Membership Action Plan should not be made conditional on the success of the debate on constitutional amendments. In his view, NATO membership is crucial not only for Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also for the stability in the entire region.
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 President Türk stressed that Slovenia consistently respects the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In his view, amending the constitution requires a great deal of patience. He recalled the development and economic progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which, although real, is often overlooked. Dr Türk reiterated Slovenia’s insistence on early integration of this country in the North Atlantic Alliance, pointing out that NATO membership is not solely the objective, but rather the means of achieving stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the entire region. In his view, NATO should stimulate and assist the country on its road to membership rather than set seemingly inconsiderate and harsh conditions. He went on to say that in communicating with representatives of the NATO Member States, Slovenia has consistently called for better understanding of this issue within the Alliance.
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 The Slovenian President termed Bosnia and Herzegovina’s non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council an important step, through which this country has assumed a part of the responsibility for international peace and security. According to Dr Türk, this is also the right step towards strengthening the country’s sovereignty and capacity for EU membership. He reiterated Slovenia’s strong interest that Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to reinforce its position as a stable and sovereign state and be perceived as such in reality. President Komšić expressed his thanks for Slovenia's friendly support and in particular for the country's good understanding of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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 The two presidents also devoted significant attention to the enhancement of economic co-operation. President Türk assessed the bilateral trade as good, while Slovenian investments in Bosnia and Herzegovina are considerable. He nevertheless pointed out that there are still a number of unexploited opportunities for joint participation of the two countries in third markets. Mr Komšić attributed the current decrease in trade to the impact of the economic crisis and expressed his interest in reversing this trend. He shared Dr Türk’s opinion regarding concrete cooperation in third markets, particularly Arab markets, and in certain parts of Asia and Africa.
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 After their meeting, the two presidents attended a business conference attended by about 60 entrepreneurs from Bosnia and Herzegovina and 120 entrepreneurs from Slovenia. Addressing the participants, Dr Türk and Mr Komšić both welcomed the previous bilateral economic cooperation and called for its strengthening in the future.
In his address President Türk emphasised that now is the time to design new joint projects for the two economies and to jointly appear in Asian and North African markets. Taking the floor Mr Komšić expressed his satisfaction with the presence of the Slovenian corporate sector in all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while advocating cooperation in further areas, such as information technology, transport and other areas. |