US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia James O'Brien held a meeting Friday with members of the BiH Presidency, Zeljko Komsic, Denis Becirovic and Zeljka Cvijanovic. The American ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Michael Murphy, also attended the meeting.

Becirovic assessed that the meeting with O'Brien and Wednesday’s meeting with the North Atlantic Council were not the result of coincidence, but that they represent a serious message and a clear signal.

A close relationship between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the US has existed since the independence of our country. With its continuous presence in BiH, the US shows strong support for our country,” said Becirovic after the meeting with O'Brien.

He noted that it is very important for BiH that the Assistant Secretary of State underlined his full support for the Euro-Atlantic and multi-ethnic BiH and that the US firmly stands by BiH.

He pointed out that he told O'Brien that there is still an open attack on the Dayton Peace Agreement and the constitutional order and that the goal of the separatists is to destroy the two key institutions provided for in the Dayton Peace Agreement.

“We will provide strong resistance to such a policy together with our key allies. Our future and the future of the US are linked in many ways because the citizens of both countries believe in a multi-ethnic society of common life, respect and tolerance – he said.

“In this sense, concrete help from the US, which naturally understands the advantages of those values, is of fundamental importance for the further development of BiH as a functional and multi-ethnic democracy,” Becirovic concluded.