High Representative Valentin Inzko met today in Ankara with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and other senior officials for an exchange of views on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina in light of the general elections that took place in the country in October 2014. During his visit, the High Representative also advocated for increased foreign investment in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The High Representative stressed that it was high time for governments to be formed at the State and Federation level, as well as in some Cantons. “The formation of the authorities at all levels has to be completed without further delay so that the governments can get to work and address the serious problems facing citizens”.
The High Representative underlined that all governments must have the same set of priorities – reforming the economy, rule of law, creating jobs, fighting corruption and unblocking BiH’s path toward Euro-Atlantic integration.
Welcoming the recent endorsement of BiH’s written commitment to EU Integration by the BiH Parliament, Inzko expressed the hope that this step would “reestablish momentum in the reform process, which has ground to a halt”.
The High Representative also thanked Turkey for its assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the economic field and encouraged the Minister to support further Turkish investments. “Mass unemployment, especially amongst the young is a huge problem. BiH needs a sustainable economy. In this regard, soft-loan credits provided by Turkey mark a positive outcome. In addition to the credits, increasing direct investments from Turkey are also needed for the recovery of the BiH economy”, he said.
As part of his visit to the Turkish capital, the High Representative also met with the President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey to discuss issues related to economic cooperation and investment.