Bosnia and Herzegovina Prime Minister Borjana Kristo on Sunday congratulated Croatia and the Andrej Plenkovic government on joining the Schengen area and the Eurozone, expressing expectations that Bosnia and Herzegovina would soon follow suit and become a member of the European community.

By joining the Schengen area Croatia confirms its strong commitment to the EU and by introducing the euro it guarantees stability, Kristo said in her letter of congratulation.

“I firmly believe that this completes the legitimate and historical aspirations of the Croatian state and people… to integrate with the European cultural, social, political and economic area,” Kristo said.

The incumbent government and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic deserve the most credit for these successes on the foreign policy front, said Kristo, a member of the HDZ BiH, a party close to Croatia's ruling HDZ.

She said that she expected Croatia to serve as a model and BiH to step up the process of its integration with the EU.

“All of us, the constituent peoples and other citizens, belong to the European family as well, we have identical aspirations and want the same integration future for ourselves,” Kristo said in her letter to Croatia.

A similar letter of congratulation was sent to Croatia earlier today by HDZ BiH leader Dragan Covic.