Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bosnian Presidency member Bakir Izetbegovic on Sunday discussed the construction of a highway connecting Belgrade and Sarajevo, increased export of meat from Bosnia and the ambition to drive the trade between the two countries to US$ one billion.

Erdogan met with Izetbegovic prior to a pre-election rally for the Turkish diaspora in Europe that has been organized in Sarajevo after several EU countries banned his campaigning on their territory.

“We had very constructive bilateral talks about political, cultural, transportation and agricultural issues – what we can do, what steps to take,” Erdogan said after the meeting, adding that they also touched upon the arms industry as well.

“We want to enhance cooperation in all of those areas,” the Turkish President announced.

Turkey will continue to support the stability and the peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as its territorial integrity, he said.

Trade has been growing between the two countries “and we want to enhance it further. We want it to reach a billion dollars. We have the will and the wish to do that. It is important to sign an agreement on free trade,” Erdogan said.

He said his government was encouraging Turkish companies to invest in Bosnia and one of the opportunities for this will be the planned Sarajevo-Belgrade highway which he called “the highway of peace.”

He said Turkey will continue the trilateral model of cooperation it has established in the Western Balkans. The country regularly organizes meetings between the leaders of Serbia, Bosnia and Turkey as well as between Croatia, Bosnia and Turkey.

Another meeting with Serbia and Bosnia is planned for this summer.

The Turkish President expressed support for Bosnia’s progress toward EU and NATO membership, promising “we will not leave Bosnia and Herzegovina alone.”

Erdogan was accompanied on this trip by Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Cavusoglu, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci, Minister for Sports and Youth Osman Askin Bak, Minister for Culture and Tourism Numan Kurtulmus, Traffic, Marine and Communication Minister Ahmet Arslan and President of the Direction for Religious Matters, Ali Erbas.

Each member of the delegation discussed enhanced cooperation between Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the their area of responsibility. The two traffic ministers signed a letter of intent to build the Sarajevo-Belgrade highway and the leaders announced a tender for this summer.

Bosnia has a trade deal with Turkey to expert 8.000 tons of meat annually but Erdogan said this could increase to 15.000 tons and the arrangement will be extended for another five years.

Izetbegovic said he expects further export of flour, sugar and oil from Bosnia and added that a Turkish loan has already produced thousands of jobs for returnees.

He also said he informed the Turkish President about the situation in Bosnia which he said was much better than the media portrays it.

“Bosnia and Herzegovina is in the EU’s and NATO’s waiting rooms. We are the regional leaders in the increase of export, in the lowering of unemployment and we have the lowest foreign debt,” he said.

As the two leaders were meeting, Erdogan’s wife Emine was visiting a new department of the main Sarajevo hospital, which the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, TIKA, financed with more than 3 million BAM.

The old building of the hematology department within the Sarajevo hospital complex Kosevo was built during the rule of the Austro-Hungarian empire more than 100 years ago and was seen as no longer suitable.

During the visit, Emine Erdogan was accompanied by Izetbegovic’s wife, Sebija Izetbegovic, who is also the head of the hospital complex.

Meanwhile, thousands of Turks from EU countries have poured into Sarajevo to attend the sixth congress of the Union of European Turkish Democrats that is taking place there ahead of the June election in Turkey.

Germany, Austra and The Netherlands had previously banned Turkish political campaigning on their soil, so Erdogan moved the event to Sarajevo.

The gathering has drawn criticism from Serbs and Croats in Bosnia who see it as a sign of support for Bosniaks, namely Izetbegovic’s Party for Democratic Action (SDA), ahead of Bosnia’s October election.

Organizers of the rally have informed local authorities that they expect between 10,000 and 15,000 people to attend.