Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency said on Thursday that it is fully committed to the peace agreement that was signed 25 years ago in Dayton, Ohio, and emphasized the importance of the strengthening peace, mutual trust and respect among all peoples and citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Milorad Dodik, the leader of the main Bosnian Serb party in the country, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), Sefik Dzaferovic, a member of Bosnia’s strongest Bosniak party, the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), and Zeljko Komsic, the leader of the centre-left Democratic Front (DF), comprise the country’s presidency that was established by the peace agreement that ended the war, signed on November 21, 1995.

“The 25th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement is an event of the greatest importance for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the entire region of the Western Balkans, but also Europe as a whole,” their statement said.

The three expressed their “full readiness and commitment to respect the provisions of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is an integral part of it.”

The Presidency expressed its gratitude to all international partners who have contributed to the establishment and the preservation of peace, as well as to the reconstruction of the country.

They said they will use the occasion to “point out the importance of the strengthening of trust, peace and mutual respect among all peoples and citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in all of its parts, entities, the Brcko District of BiH, cantons, cities and municipalities,” the statement said.

The Presidency members welcomed the progress that was achieved in Bosnia since the Dayton Agreement was signed in regard to the “economy, education, democratisation of society, rule of law, public administration and all other areas.”

The three leaders repeated their commitment to stronger relations with neighbours in the region that would be based on mutual respect and appreciation.

“During the pandemic, it is necessary to improve the cooperation with all international partners in the decisive fight against terrorism and COVID-19 as well as regarding the migrant crisis,” the statement said.

The country’s authorities on all levels are obliged to boost efforts to ensure that peoples and citizens can live with dignity, with mutual respect and understanding, it added.

The anniversary is also “an opportunity to remind of the obligation to sympathize with the pain and suffering of members of all peoples and citizens, and the obligation to show respect for all innocent victims of war,” it said.

The three presidency members confirmed again their commitment to the creation of a society that is suitable for all of its peoples and citizens, especially the young people who should be able to remain in the country and built there future here, the statement concluded.