PRESS CONFERENCE

Sarajevo, April 9th, 2009.

Press Release

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Sven Alkalaj and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden Carl Bildt Hold a Press Conference

After conducting a meeting, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Sven Alkalaj and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden Carl Bildt held a press conference on April 8th, 2009.

Minister Alkalaj welcomed Minister Bildt to Bosnia and Herzegovina and then provided the members of the press with information on the topics and content matter of the conducted meeting. The topics discussed included the current political situation in our country, BiH's foreign policy goals, activities being undertaken by BiH on the path towards Euro-Atlantic integration, and, in particular, EU visa liberalization for BiH citizens. Minister Alkalaj informed Minister Bildt that there have been no delays in fulfilling Road Map conditions. In addition, they also discussed the upcoming Swedish Presidency of the European Union, which it is set to take over on July 1st of this year. 

Minister Alkalaj informed the press that he had used this opportunity to express our country's gratitude to the Kingdom of Sweden for their recent ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement and to acquaint Minister Bildt with BiH's aspirations to apply for European Union candidate status during the Swedish Presidency of the EU.

In his statement to the press, Minister Bildt thanked Minister Alkalaj for the welcome extended to him and assessed that bilateral relations between BiH and Sweden are very good, adding that they need to be further enhanced, particularly in the area of economic cooperation. He conveyed to Minister Alkalaj that Sweden is committed to fostering the process of Euro-integration of the Western Balkans, which includes BiH. Finally, he emphasized that BiH must fulfill all the provisions of the Road Map so as not to be left behind the other countries of the region in the process of visa liberalization, which is a priority. Following their statements, Ministers Alkalaj and Bildt answered question from members of the press.