Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Božo Petrov announced in Sarajevo on Tuesday the continuation of Croatia's full support for Bosnia and Herzegovina's efforts to preserve its stability and territorial integrity as well as its aspirations to joint Euro-Atlantic associations.
Petrov also announced the solving of a number of outstanding issues in bilateral relations, something the two countries have been waiting for for decades.
After official talks with the leaders of the House of Representatives and the House of Peoples of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Petrov said BiH was and remained a priority in Croatia's foreign policy. "BiH is our partner which we claim has great potential," Petrov said, adding that Croatia was ready to help Bosnia with its vote in the European Union.
Petrov also said Croatia supported the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina which is a key of stability in this part of Europe. He announced a joint session of the Croatian government and the Bosnian Council of Ministers when some of the outstanding issues are expected to be resolved.
The president of the BiH House of Representatives, Šefik Džaferović, said the two countries have been waiting for years to resolve issues such as the border, social insurance, the rights of Bosnian workers fired from jobs in Croatia between 1991 and 1995, property rights relations, nuclear waste disposal sites in Trgovska Gora, etc. "All of this was on the agenda," Džaferović told the press, saying that the talks were friendly and that they encouraged the two governments to start resolving outstanding issues.
"When friends want to resolve issues, then there are guarantees that these issues will be resolved," Džaferović said, adding that the two countries' bilateral relations were very good.
Petrov is at the helm of Croatia's delegation on a two-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina during which separate meetings will be held with members of the collective Presidency, Prime Minister Denis Zvizdić, Sarajevo Archbishop Vinko Puljić and the president of Croatian cultural association "Napredak," Franjo Topić. The delegation is also expected to visit Vitez and Mostar.