The EU would accept for six Western Balkans countries to enter the organization, according to Financial Times: Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo.
On January 16th, an agreement on the answers to the seven remaining questions from the European Commission Questionnaire was reached. The questionnaire will be ready to be sent to Brussels in the next few days. Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denis Zvizdić, considers this cooperation as a positive signal to the European Union especially in the light of the new strategy for the Western Balkans that the EU is preparing
After being accused by BiH’s defense minister Mektić of supporting paramilitary units, President of RS Dodik denies all accusations claiming that there is no evidence in favor of the allegations. In a letter sent to “The Guardian”, which first published on January 12th an article on the formation of paramilitary units in the Serbian Republic area, President Dodik highlights the risk that these allegations could cause to the stability and security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is slowly but steadily overcoming the past conflict. President Dodik also states, in the letter, how these allegations are attempting to divert the public’s attention from BiH’s internal security threat posed by the presence of jihadist militants and returning Bosnian foreign fighters.
Canton Tuzla will host the NATO EADRCC disaster exercise “Bosnia and Herzegovina 2017”that will take place from September 25 to 29. Minister of Security of BiH Dragan Mektic said that this exercise will be a great opportunity for Bosnia and Herzegovina to improve its resources and capacities of the civil protection and rescue sector to train new skills. He also added that since Bosnia and Herzegovina has a decentralized civil protection system, so its crucial to learn how to respond to a disaster in an organized manner and its consequences: that will bring a lot of opportunities as well. So, this exercise is in the interest of citizens and it is organized in the Partnership for Peace with NATO.
The minister of foreign affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Igor Crnadak said, during a meeting of foreign ministers of the American-Adriatic Charter (A5), whose host was the Macedonian foreign minister Nikola Dimitrov, that there isstill no consensus regarding NATO membership but there is a full consensus for different kind of cooperation with NATO itself, including activating the Membership Action Plan (MAP). Crnadak added however that Bosnia and Herzegovina is keeping on making reforms, expecially reguarding European area and european integration. The US assistant secretary of state Hoyt Brian Yee, who met Crnadak after the meeting, also attended the meeting.
The prime minister of Albania Edi Rama said at a meeting of the NATO Military Committee said that Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Serbia, Macedonia and Kosovo are still missing from a NATO map. According to the Albanian news agencies ATA, this territories that should be involved more in European area are seen as vulnerable by other political actors. The chairman of the NATO Military Committee general Petr Pavel thanked Albania for its committment in safeguard of security in Afghanistan and Kosovo. Pavel stressed as well the role of Albania in fighting ISIS and keeping peace in the Balcan area.
The mayor of Sarajevo Abdulah Skaka met with the mayor of Budapest Istvan Tarlos at the sidelines of the Second Forum of Mayors of Capital Cities of Central and East Europe and China: as the matter of facts, the cities have twin relations since 1995. The ambassador of BiH to Montenegro Dorde Latinovic was there as well. The two majors talked about how to make relationships between cities stronger. Skaka invited Tarlos to visit Sarajevo on April 6th, which is the Day of the City, and invited the Budapest Philharmonic on May 9th, the Day of Europe and the Day of Victory over Fascism, to have a concert in Sarajevo as well.
Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in BiH Ambassador Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, President of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH Milan Tegeltija, and Chief Prosecutor of District Prosecutor’s Office in Doboj Željka Radović officially opened on 12 September 2017 the Doboj Courthouse that was severely damaged in the 2014 floods. Ambassador Wigemark underlined how much is important to have a well-functioning, well equipped Courthouse for establishing the rule of law and conducting of criminal, commercial and civil -proceedings. The reconstruction of the Doboj Courthouse was funded by the European Union in the amount of EUR 715,000.
The president of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic is on an official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina for the first time since 2011. Vucic said at the beginning of his addressing that, even if he thinks that someone won’t agree with him, he wish the best for the relationships between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. He added that the two countries are really important for each other as economical partners. Dealing with borders, he added that a lot of questions are already solved and the left ones with be solved as soon as possible, so both the countries will have the chance to face some other challenges, such as tourism. Regarding the highway, he said that Serbia will accept Bosnia and Herzegovina’s conditions because connecting Belgrade and Sarajevo is crucial. Priorities, according to him, are peace and stability.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic Thursday afternoon arrived in Sarajevo, where he will meet with members of the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina. This is the first visit of a Serbian president to Bosnia-Herzegovina in six years. After his face-to-face meeting with the members of the Presidency – representing Serbs, Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims), and Croats – Vucic and the current chair of the Presidency, Dragan Covic, are planned to address reporters. According to the visit’s agenda, Vucic will also meet with the leadership of the East Sarajevo municipality, and tour construction works on the East Sarajevo Hospital site. On the second day of the visit, he will speak with the members of the Collegium of both houses of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia-Herzegovina.