Austrian and Italian foreign ministers, Alexander Schallenberg and Antonio Tajani, resumed their official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday, meeting the members of Bosnia's tripartite Presidency and head of the government, Borjana Kristo.

The Presidency expressed their gratitude to ministers Tajani and Schallenberg personally, as well as to the governments of the Republic of Austria and the Republic of Italy for their continuous support for the integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina into the European Union.

They also thanked for the strong advocacy and mobilising the support among the European Union member states for the start of the accession talks between BiH and the EU.

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They introduced the officials to a series of activities that were carried out in order to meet the conditions for the next step on the European path, emphasising that a positive response of the European Council would give additional impetus to the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also important support for the country's European future.

FMs of Italy, Austria ‘impressed’ with results Bosnia made on its EU path

Ministers Tajani and Schallenberg said that their visit aims to provide political and any other kind of support to Bosnia and Herzegovina. They welcomed the progress in meeting the conditions and reiterated their strong encouragement and support for the European path, which is in the mutual interest of both Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union.

They also emphasised their full dedication to preserving the stability and security of BiH through participation in the Althea Mission – the EU military deployment in BiH, providing technical assistance and advocating integration into the European Union.

The officials expressed content with bilateral relations, and assessed that the Republic of Austria and the Republic of Italy are some of the largest trade and investment partners in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They hope that in the future this cooperation will intensify, as Bosnia and Herzegovina progresses on its way to the EU membership.

VMBiH

Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of BiH Borjana Kristo said in the meeting with Italian and Austrian diplomats that BiH is aware of being in a crucial stage of the European journey, and that this visit and the minister's unwavering support give additional strength to get engaged in the work in a short period of time.

She also informed the ministers about intensive work on the finalisation of the Draft Law on the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest, one of the key priorities on the EU path.