Serbian PM arrives in Bosnia with message of reconciliation

As part of a recent effort at regional reconciliation, Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic visited neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on Wednesday where he met with his Bosnian counterpart and attended a business forum, reported Radio Sarajevo.

"My visit represents a form of continuation of our country's desire to foster relations on the political level which will create the foundation for further strengthening and deepening of bilateral cooperation," said Cvetkovic in Sarajevo.

Furthermore, Cvetkovic stated that his visit "demonstrates the need and desire of Serbia to arrive at reconciliation in the region."

Cvetkovic said that Serbia, as one of the guarantors of the Dayton Peace Agreement, remained fully committed to the territorial integrity of BiH and would support any internal agreement reached by its two entities and three constituent nations.

As part of the peace agreement, BiH was divided into two semi- autonomous entities: Republika Srpska, which is Serb dominated, and the Federation of BiH, dominated by the two other constituent nations, Bosnian Muslims and Croats.

Cvetkovic's message for the 'BiH and Serbia Business Forum' in Sarajevo was that politicians were striving to create a climate where domestic business people should be welcome to invest in the other country.

Bosnian Prime Minister Nikola Spiric stated that Serbia was the second largest investor in BiH and among the five most important in trade and export.

The two leaders also said they agreed to a joint government session to resolve outstanding issues in the areas of border demarcation, property and succession rights of citizens.

Source: Xinhua