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SARAJEVO, May 24 (FENA) - As the final event of Bosnia and Herzegovina's one-year chairmanship of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Directorate for European Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina organized in Sarajevo the EU Strategy Forum for the Adriatic-Ionian Region (EUSAIR) and the annual meeting Council of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative (JJI) at the level of foreign ministers.
Bosnia and Herzegovina took over the presidency from the Republic of Albania on June 1, 2022, which ends on May 31, 2023, when the Republic of Croatia takes over the presidency.
BiH Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmedin Konaković said today at the opening of the forum that this is an opportunity to exchange views on the situation in the region, stating that BiH presided over the JJI in very challenging times because while Europe was recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, the war in Ukraine began followed by the energy crisis.
He said that regardless of all the difficulties, BiH focused on the EU enlargement process to the countries of the Western Balkans during the presidency of the JJI, expressing satisfaction because all countries are dedicated to this goal.
Director of the Directorate for European Integration, Edin Dilberović, said at the opening that the enlargement process is closely related to the implementation of the strict but fair conditions facing the aspirant countries for EU membership.
European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Oliver Varhelyi addressed the gathering in a video message, repeating that the granting of candidate status to BiH is a clear message that this country is part of the European family.
"The EU will continue to support this region and allocate funds for remediation of the consequences of crises and economic development and social progress, but it is up to the countries to fulfill the most important conditions for continuing the path to the EU," said Varhelyi.
The introductory panel is devoted to the topic "The role of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative and EUSAIR in accelerating the process of European integration", where the participants will be the ministers of foreign affairs of JJI member countries and/or the ministers responsible for the EUSAIR strategy and a representative of the European Commission.
The Adriatic-Ionian Initiative was founded in 2000 to encourage development, strengthen security and intensify cooperation between the countries of the region and accelerate integration processes in Europe. The EUSAIR covers ten countries: four EU Member States (Croatia, Greece, Italy, Slovenia) and six non-EU countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, San Marino, Serbia).
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