"Bosnia and Herzegovina's future is in the EU, as a single, united and sovereign state," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during her official visit to the country, Sarajevo Times reported.
"Our cooperation so far has been excellent, thank you for that. We will continue to cooperate closely in the next period as well. In order to make progress, BiH must act as one, act with one voice and one position. On the other hand, we cannot to allow a departure from our common values in any part of your country," Von der Leyen pointed out.
The EC head's second message was that "we must work to unite our economies".
The Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Borjana Kristo, stated that today's arrival of Ursula von der Leyen is an opportunity to present the new growth plan of the European Union for the countries of this region.
"I believe that we should all take advantage of the opportunity both in the region and in BiH to take a significant step forward based on this growth plan that has been provided to us in the area of providing quality living conditions to all residents of BiH in all segments of life," said Kristo.
According to her, this visit represents an opportunity for BiH to get acquainted with the new growth plan, i.e. with the new decision that the EU took, namely the financial decision for six billion euro aid for the countries of the region.
She stated that 2 billion refers to grants and 4 billion to various types of loans.
"I think we should thank the EU institutions for this support and help, and everything else regarding the implementation of these decisions and funds depends on all of us when it comes to BiH," said the BiH Prime Minister.
Upon her arrival in Sarajevo, Von der Leyen was met at the airport by BiH Foreign Minister Elmedin Konaković, then met with BiH Presidency members Denis Becirović and Željko Cvijanović, and then had a meeting with Kristo.
In the past few days, von der Leyen also visited North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia. /BGNES
