In a meeting with the head of the Office of High Representative (OHR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina Christian Schmidt, Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday his country expects the High Representative to have an unbiased and balanced approach to all in the country.

Schmidt and Vucic met in Belgrade to discuss the current political situation in the region, especially the Bosnian and other Western Balkans’ progress to the European Union, a statement from the President’s office said.

Vucic added both he and Serbia respected “the integrity and the wholeness” of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as “the wholeness and integrity of Republika Srpska within Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He said he believed that people in BiH should decide on their fate without any interference and pressure from abroad.

Vucic added he was convinced that Serbia and BiH could develop economic ties and relations much faster than so far.

Republika Srpska (RS), a semi-autonomous Serb-dominated region in BiH, bitterly opposes Schmidt’s election to the post and advocates closing the OHR.

Vucic, who has close relations with Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of Bosnia's tripartite Presidency, and the loudest critic of both the OHR and Schmidt, publicly disagreed. Serbia’s President earlier said he knew Schmidt well from before and trusted he would not be biased.

The statement cited Schmidt as saying Bosnia's functionality as a state was necessary to reach the level at which it would not need further international supervision.

He also supported regional initiatives aimed at integrating all Western Balkans countries as a step toward European integration.