Forming Bosnia’s new government is “critical to the country’s progress and implementation of the requisite reforms,” a deputy to Bosnia’s top international official said on Thursday during a meeting with political representatives from Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity.

Principal Deputy High Representative and Supervisor in the country’s northern Brcko District, a part of Bosnia which does not belong to any of the two semi-autonomous entities within the country, Michael Scanlan, met with the speaker of the parliament of Bosnia’s Serb-dominated part of Republika Srpska (RS), Nedeljko Cubrilovic, and the leader of the Bosnian Serb National Democratic Movement (NDP), Dragan Cavic.

“I encourage Bosnia's political leaders to focus on moving the country forward,” he said.

“The government formation at the state level is critical to the country’s progress and implementation of the requisite reforms. The opportunity at hand to form the Council of Ministers based on mutually acceptable compromise, should not be wasted,” Scanlan said.