Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in Vienna on Friday, to discuss the ngoing issues in the world with the Middle East conflict on top of agenda. The two official also discussed European path of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Addressing the joint press conference following the meeting, Schallenberg mentioned the upcoming session of the European Council and potential decision giving a green light for the opening of the accession talks with Bosnia.

“And there are still very strongly advocates for this step because in view of the – you could say the circle of fire surrounding Europe, we have to make sure that our immediate neighborhood is stabilized. And there’s no vacuum in politics. So, either we manage to export our model of life, our stability, our security, or we risk being confronted with growing insecurity and instability,” he stressed.

As for the Western Balkan region as a whole, the Austrian FM said it was “close to our heart,” emphasising the commitment of both the US and Austria to the European future of the region.

Blinken commended Austria's “longstanding leadership” as well as “the foreign minister’s personal leadership and engagement” when it comes to the cooperation on key regional priorities, and notably the Western Balkans.

“This is something that is near and dear to our hearts, and especially President Biden, because for the President and for me – when I started out the 1990s, so much of the focus of the world was on the Balkans, on Bosnia, on Kosovo,” he noted.

In his address, Blinken also made a reference to the region's past.

“And one thing we don’t need, that Europe doesn’t need, and especially the people of the Western Balkans don’t need is a back-to-the-future moment, where we find ourselves back in the 1990s. And thanks to the engagement of Austria, the leadership of Austria, we’re moving decisively in a different direction, a positive direction, a direction in which the Western Balkans is genuinely integrated with Europe. We share the goal of a democratic, prosperous, peaceful region integrated with the rest of Europe,” he underlined.

As for Bosnia's European path, he reiterated strong support of the USA, and conveyed a message for the leaders of the country.

“The European Commission’s recommendation to open accession talks and negotiations with Bosnia Herzegovina is something that’s very welcome. We fully support their Euro-Atlantic path, including with the European Union. And we also encourage the leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to move past divisions to pursue reform, reform necessary to move down the path toward the EU. And here, we really benefited from the foreign minister’s insights, not just from his recent visit but from all his engagement,” he said.