Bosnia’s new Foreign Affairs Minister, Elemedin Konakovic, met with his Croatian counterpart, Gordan Grlic Radman, in Zagreb on Tuesday in an effort to “strengthen and comprehensively improve relations” between the two countries.

“We are pleased that Croatia was chosen as the country for the first official visit (of BiH’s new foreign minister). In the new BiH Council of Ministers, we see a pro-European partner with whom we can strengthen cooperation. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia are directed towards each other, we have the longest border. By strengthening economic cooperation, transport and energy, it directly benefits our countries and citizens,” Garlic Radman said.

He added that his country strongly advocated for granting EU candidate status to BiH and will continue to support the country in its EU integration efforts.

Garlic Radman pointed out the significant economic trade between the two countries, adding that there are additional potentials for cooperation such as the use of EU funds.

Konakovic thanked Grlic Radman for the warm welcome to Zagreb and his first official visit.

“Before Zagreb, we visited Brussels and thus showed that Bosnia and Herzegovina has Euro-Atlantic ambitions,” Konakovic said, also stressing that Croatia contributed to BiH receiving EU candidate status and the necessity for implementing the reforms necessary to achieve progress on the country’s EU path.

He announced that he will also meet with Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plankovic and President Zoran Milanovic and that the visit represents an effort to “end tensions and have good relations.”

“We are trying to take things forward from a deadlock through the policy of compromise. This is a more difficult path, a policy of dialogue and conversation. First, we talked about our chances and opportunities, which we will not be able to resolve today, but to bring to the table the topics of the Adriatic-Ionian connection, the airport in Trebinje, the southern interconnection, and that is an economic opportunity for BiH,” he said.

“The plan is to have a joint session planned for the sixth month and resolve some of these issues. There is also the issue of amending the Constitution and the Election Law. I am not the first to say that it is not fair that we are electing a member of the BiH Presidency for the Croats,” said Konakovic.

However, he also stressed that the discriminatory law, according to which those who do not belong to one of the three majority ethnic groups can not become members of the BiH Presidency, must be changed.

“We want to return Bosnia and Herzegovina to the position that naturally belongs to it, to be a bridge between East and West. Unfortunately, it has been the scene of conflicts and we want to change that,” Konakovic said.