Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Monday from Sarajevo that it is necessary to support the survival and better quality of life of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina and at the same time help build their better relations with Bosniaks.

Plenkovic arrived in BiH in order to, together with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, encourage the politicians in that country to implement the reforms necessary for the opening of negotiations on EU accession.

“We are sending a message of support and encouragement for the implementation of reforms in order to open accession negotiations. Croatia continues to help Bosnia and Herzegovina on the European path, which guarantees stability and prosperity,” Plenkovic posted on X at the beginning of the visit.

Before the talks with local politicians announced for Tuesday, the Croatian Prime Minister met with representatives of the largest religious communities in BiH in Sarajevo.

After meeting with the Archbishop of Bosnia and Herzegovina Tom Vuksic and Cardinal Vinko Puljic, he announced that the Croatian government continues to support the activities of the Catholic Church in BiH through projects that contribute to a better quality of life for Croats in that country.

He described the meeting with the head of the Islamic Community in BiH, Husein Kavazovic, as a contribution to building friendly and good-neighborly relations.

“We strongly, strongly support BiH's European path. It is necessary to continue to strengthen the dialogue between Croats and Bosniaks and achieve equality between the three constituent nations,” said Plenkovic.