International community's High Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Christian Schmidt said on Wednesday at talks with Croatia's State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Andreja Metelko Zgombic, that it is important for BiH to have Zagreb's support in obtaining EU membership candidate status.

Croatia's support for BiH's EU membership candidate status is important, he wrote on Twitter.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has expressed an expectation that the European Council might approve candidate status for BiH already by the end of the year.

The European Commission has recommended to the European Council to take a decision to that effect, and Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said last week it was important that BiH form a new government and embark on necessary reforms.

Schmidt said that candidate status would provide the necessary impetus to BiH and would be an important signal to its citizens that the enlargement process was also working for their country.

Metelko Zgombic headed a Croatian delegation for working consultations with officials from the BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sarajevo.

BiH Deputy Foreign Minister Josip Brkic said on Twitter that the two sides expressed satisfaction with “very good bilateral relations between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

“Croatia remains the most important advocate and friend of Bosnia and Herzegovina on its path towards the EU and NATO,” he said.