BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY MEMBER ZELJKO KOMSIC MET WITH CZECH PRESIDENT VACLAV KLAUS

PRAGUE, The Czech Republic (April 17,2008) – A member of the Bosnian State Presidency Zeljko Komsic had a meeting in Prague with the Czech President Václav Klaus Klaus. They talked about relations between the two countries and the situation in the region.

Klaus expressed pleasure over Bosnia’s fulfilment of conditions for singing the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU.

He stated that Bosnia can expect the formal signature very soon and added that it will, certainly, contribute the acceleration of harmonization processes and strengthening of BiH’s inner structure and adjustment to the EU standards.

This is especially significant since the Czech Republic will preside the EU in 2009. Klaus expressed pleasure with the fact that Bosnia has headed in an accelerated pace towards the NATO membership. As a reminder, Bosnia was called to enter the “intensive dialogue” phase at the NATO Summit in Bucharest.

Joint interest on strengthening of trans-Atlantic cooperation has also been discussed, both in the NATO frames and in relations with the USA.

Bosnian Presidency member Zeljko Komsic stated that relations between Bosnia and the Czech Republic are good, stabile and friendly, with no open issues. He expressed pleasure with Bosnia’s entrance to the Intensive Dialogue phase and invited the Czech President Klaus to officially visit Bosnia.

Commenting the two countries’ economic relations, it has been agreed that the amount of trade exchange is about 350 million Bosnian Marks is not sufficient concerning the quality of the overall, especially political relations. Orientation of the Czech entrepreneurs to invest into the Bosnian energy sector, as well as interest of the country’s entrepreneurs to invest into reconstruction of the Bosnian railway system is a good way to expand economic cooperation.

Komsic supported further activities in the process of connecting cities and towns of the two countries, as well as joint projects in the sector of tourism.

Komsic thanked Klaus for such a relation of the Czech Republic towards Bosnia, for “our country is one of the eight priority countries of the Czech Republic’s development aid”.

During a working visit to the Czech Republic, a member of the Bosnian Presidency Zeljko Komsic held a meeting with representatives of the Bosnian diaspora who are mainly successful Bosnian businessmen living in Czech Republic.

Numerous issues were discusses during the meeting; representatives of the Bosnian diaspora expressed concerns about the non-annulment of the Act 17 of the Bosnian Law on Citizenship. Just how this problem is serious is best illustrated by the fact that several participants of the meeting had to give up their Bosnian citizenships to maintain their equal status in the Czech Republic.

Komsic also visited the Radio Free Europe headquarters and held a meeting with editors who broadcast the program in the Bosnian language.

During a long meeting, the focus was on the current situation and possible development of the events in both Bosnia and in the region.

At the end of his visit to the Czech Republic,a member of the Bosnian State Presidency Zeljko Komsic opened an exhibition by the Bosnian painter Safet Zec, in the “Kampa” Museum, in presence of a large number of Bosnian citizens, diplomats and representatives of the Czech government.
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