Tajani: Italy has candidate in race for Bosnia’s next High Representative, it's a complicated country

Speaking during a visit to the Croatian city, Tajani said the two ministers discussed both the situation in Bosnia and the future appointment of the international official overseeing the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement.

“I met with Bosnia and Herzegovina's Foreign Minister Elmedin Konakovic, and we discussed Bosnia as well as the future High Representative, whose appointment will have to be decided,” Tajani said, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

“There is an Italian candidate in the running,” he added, referring to former diplomat Antonio Zanardi Landi.

“We will see how an overall agreement can be reached,” Tajani said.

The Italian foreign minister stressed that the issue goes beyond the appointment of the next High Representative, pointing to the importance of maintaining stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Of course, there are also many Italian military personnel present in Bosnia, so the whole issue is not only about the High Representative, but also about the overall stability of this country, to which we have renewed our friendship and commitment, including our support for its accession to the European Union,” he said.

Tajani also described Bosnia and Herzegovina as “a complicated country, with three distinct realities that must coexist”.

“Italy is doing everything possible precisely to help facilitate this coexistence,” he added.

The current High Representative, Christian Schmidt, took office in 2021. Discussions about his eventual successor have intensified in recent months, although no decision has yet been announced.