The Diplomat
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, held yesterday at La Moncloa his first bilateral meeting with the President of the Tripartite Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željko Komšić, before whom he showed Spain’s support for the territorial integrity of his country and defended the roadmap set by the European Commission for its future accession to the EU.
“Spain maintains its firm commitment to the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, sovereign, united and stable,” Sanchez said during the meeting, Moncloa said in a statement. “Spain is aware of the ties that have united it with Bosnia and Herzegovina” and, therefore, wishes to increase political dialogue, cooperation in regional forums and economic interaction in order to enhance these ties between the two countries, which next December 14 celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.
In this regard, Moncloa yesterday recalled the “relevant” role played by Spain in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s. More than 46,000 Spanish soldiers participated in UN, NATO and EU missions since 1992, with 23 military personnel killed. In addition, Spain has cooperated in the development and reconstruction of the country and, at present, our country supports the stabilization of the country through its participation in the EUFOR/ALTHEA Operation and the Spanish soldiers stationed in Sarajevo collaborate in the development of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During the meeting, Sánchez reiterated before Komšić the need for Bosnia and Herzegovina to advance in the fourteen priorities set by the European Commission to start the process of accession to the EU, including electoral reform, and, in this sense, he stressed the importance that the next elections in the country, scheduled for October this year, “contribute to democratic normality, improve coexistence and open the way towards a progressive normalization”.
The two leaders also discussed the interest of Spanish companies in collaborating with Bosnia and Herzegovina in areas such as consulting, engineering, construction and equipment of transport infrastructures, environment and renewable energies.
For his part, Željko Komšić – whose office is renewed every eight months – invited Sánchez to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina in the “near future”, an invitation that the head of the Executive accepted, and thanked the aid provided by Spain to his country to date, as reported by the Bosnian Presidency. He also expressed special thanks to Sanchez for “respecting and supporting the priorities of the European Commission on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s progress towards the EU”.
The visit of the Bosnian leader to Spain included an audience with Philip VI, but was finally cancelled after the King tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday morning, which has forced him to suspend all official activities planned for the next seven days.
