Chairman of Council of Ministers at 3rd Balkan Leaders Summit

Chairman of Council of Ministers of B-H Dr. Nikola Špirić stated in New York at the 3rd Balkan Leaders Summit that cooperation between Belgrade and Priština is a key for the regional stability. 

Chairman Špirić stressed a need for all participants of the Summit to encourage the dialogue between Belgrade and Priština, which would eventually, pursuant to UN resolutions, yield a resolution acceptable to both sides. “Otherwise, by making precedents, this inevitable political stabiliser might easily turn into a sort of political and security detonator for the region, which, I am sure, nobody amongst us, wants it”, warned Chairman Špirić.

Chairman of the Council of Ministers underlined that good news from the region are made by good political cooperation, as a necessary prerequisite for the security of the region, which is absent, unfortunately.

“As you know, Bosnia and Herzegovina did not recognise Kosovo and Metohija. Although there are forces pro and contra the recognition, it is important that those forces should not be antagonised over time, either from within or from outside, for the sake of our country in a whole”, said Špirić in his address.

The chairman drew attention of the Summit to a fact that the Constitutional and internal arrangement of B-H is defined under the Dayton Agreement “which offers a space not for revolutionary solutions, but certainly for an evolution of the system”.

“Such foundation is sufficient to provide democratic and institutional prosperity of both Entities and all three constitutive peoples”, said the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of B-H. He added that it is a strategic determination and priority of B-H to develop regional cooperation with a view to progress in all segments of activities and reach needed standards for its integration into European structures, with a special focus on development of regional capacities, and this goes for the countries individually, as for the region as a whole.  

Chairman Špirić took part at the 3rd Summit of Balkan Leaders, upon an invitation of the Federation of Balkan-American Associations, where, in addition to intensifying cooperation, the experience change is expected to assist, as well, in fining a joint response to both individual and common challenges faced by Balkan counties.

Assessing the ongoing transformation and restructuring processes throughout the region as being painstaking, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of B-H pointed at great differences within the region in terms of economic development and dynamics, culture and religion of its citizens.

“Therefore, we always have to keep on mind that the regional cooperation offers a possibility for attraction of investments, which helps reach solutions to a wide range of issues, from local to regional ones, which the same ones that might not be available otherwise”, Špirić said.

He underlined that the progress of every individual country, as well as the entire region, is important for the success and dynamics of further reforms, including economic advancement and political enthusiasm. “All those factors together represent a moving force required for changes”, Špirić said.

He underlined that from the economic development prospective of Balkans, a regional approach has better chances for success, so that investment attraction has, as an issue, crossed state borders long time ago.

The Chairman of the Council of Ministers also presented to the Summit possibilities of investment into energy, wood processing, metal processing and agriculture and tourist sectors in B-H.

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