The matter of stability and security, as well as the economic prosperity, are crucial issues for Bosnia and Herzegovina and its future, while its Euro-Atlantic integration is the way to achieve those priorities, Chairman of Bosnia’s Council of Ministers Denis Zvizdic said following the meeting of the Western Balkan leaders in Ohrid on Sunday.

“Each of the Western Balkan countries has a certain amount of foreign investments, which are growing every year but insufficiently. They can increase by three, four or five times more. We should ask why direct foreign investments don’t increase in the Western Balkans? Exactly because of the legal uncertainty and due to the fact that on daily basis we have tensions, radical statements, which are sometimes real and more often artificially created, which then create a spiral of constant verbal bickering among the Western Balkan countries’ representatives,” said Zvizdic addressing a press conference in the North Macedonia’s resort city.

“The matters of stability and security, economic prosperity are the matters that we in Bosnia and Herzegovina find the most important for the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina and we clearly believe that the process of Euro-Atlantic integration is the way in which we can achieve those priorities and solve the priority goals,” he added.

 The head of Bosnia’s state government made a reference to the recent meeting in Geneva, where the Western Balkan leaders discussed “serious topics” and “European perspective” of the region with the European Union officials and representatives of the international financial institutions.

“Afterwards we held a press conference where no single question referred to the meeting. All of the questions were about the past, the 1990s, and we even went back to WWII. And that’s the example we’re talking about. There are constant tensions that are grounded on those topics, which finally have to be solved on the basis of relevant facts and truth, we have to overcome them and open the new door. That’s why it is important to set up the priorities in the right way,” emphasised Zvizdic.

He reiterated that the Euro-Atlantic integration has no alternative but that this does not mean Bosnia will not remain committed to the regional cooperation in the Western Balkans.