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SARAJEVO, October 6 (FENA) - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden Ann Linde and Minister of the Interior Mikael Damberg talked in Sarajevo with the Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH Bisera Turković.
After the meeting, Swedish Minister Linde expressed satisfaction that her country's delegation is visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina and pointed out that Sweden has a large and significant Bosnian diaspora involved in various segments of society there.
Sweden is a major donor to Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially when it comes to reform processes related to Bosnia and Herzegovina's path to the European Union.
Linde welcomed the BiH leader's commitment to the country's membership in European integration, as well as the progress made in BiH, especially in recent months, and in particular the agreement to hold elections in Mostar after so many years. She said that the upcoming elections are important throughout the country, and said that political tensions should be reduced and stressed the importance of reconciliation in the region.
Linde called on Bosnia and Herzegovina's leaders to maintain momentum in the country's progress towards the European Union but also stressed that candidate status requires progress in all 14 priorities highlighted by the European Commission.
Sweden supports, the country's foreign minister said, reform processes leading to democratization, strengthening the rule of law, adequate environmental protection and other developments.
At today's meeting with Minister Turković, the officials also discussed bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Sweden and BiH and the importance of cooperation in the fight against international organized crime, i.e. capacity building for progress in that fight.
Ann Linde reminded that Sweden will take over the chairmanship of the OSCE as of January 1 next year, and added that the focus in that mandate will be on returning the OSCE to its foundations.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden, citing the topics of today's meeting, stressed the need for cooperation due to COVID 19 and stressed that cooperation should continue after the pandemic.
Shortly after the meeting, the Minister of the Interior of the Kingdom of Sweden, Mikael Damberg, told reporters that the fight against organized crime originating from the Western Balkans was also discussed.
Damberg added that Sweden supports the European Union's efforts through EUROPOL and seeks to contribute to bilateral cooperation in this field.
After the meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bisera Turković, told the press that the focus of the talks was on further strengthening the already good cooperation between the two countries.
The officials also discussed the issues related to the exchange of information, the COVID situation, Bosnia and Herzegovina's path to the European Union, regional cooperation, the fight against corruption and organized crime, as well as migration.
Turković emphasizes that the help of the Kingdom of Sweden and the Embassy of that country in Sarajevo, and especially the Swedish development agency SIDA, is of great importance for Bosnia and Herzegovina. She notes that a program to strengthen employment and sustainable economic development was established in April 2017.
They also talked about EUROPOL, migration issues and the support that Bosnia and Herzegovina expects in the process of gaining candidate status for membership in the European Union.
Sweden advocates the enlargement of the European Union to the countries of the Western Balkans and strongly supports Bosnia and Herzegovina on the path to European integration, Turković emphasized.
In the context of the forthcoming Swedish chairmanship of the OSCE, she stated that they discussed what is expected in the development of the OSCE as an organization that has made a huge contribution to Bosnia and Herzegovina as well.
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