SARAJEVO
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc on Wednesday visited Visoko city in Sarajevo as part of his official contacts.
On the first stop of his two-day visit, Arinc came together in Visoko with Amra Babic, who won the local elections on October 7, 2012 and became Europe's first mayor wearing a headscarf.
Kemal Ozturk, Chairman of the Board and Director General of Anadolu Agency, Turkey's Ambassador in Sarajevo Ahmet Yildiz, former Justice and Development Party MP Huseyin Kansu and executives of Turkish corporations in Bosnia and Herzegovina attended the meeting held at the Visoko Municipality.
Reminding that the Visoko Mayor visited Turkey previously, Arinc stated that the financial support sent from Turkey to Visoko would reach very soon.
Arinc stated that Babic was very popular in Turkey and said, "If you had stood as a candidate from some where in Turkey, you are popular enough to be elected" to Babic.
Emphasizing that Bosnia and Herzegovina has made big steps in national security, stability and development following the war, Arinc said, "As Turkey we think that the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina is fundamental. In this regard, Turkey will be next to Bosnia and Herzegovina as a political power and encourage businessmen to invest in Bosnia nd Herzegovina to further strengthen the economic relations between two countries."
Arinc stated that the trade volume between Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina was 400 million dollars and the direct Turkish investments in Bosnia and Herzegovina was 200 million dollars.
Emphasizing the importance of tourism for Visoko, Arinc said, "The roads are not bad but you need rest areas. There is a need to renovate historical monuments and give training for the people to work in the tourism sector. When you are ready, let us know and we will send thousands of people to holiday here."
Mayor of Visoko Amra Babic expressed their gratitude for Turkey's support to Bosnia and Herzegovina for their EU and NATO membership and said, "Turkey's support for us is very important. I'm sure this support will continue in the future."
Arinc travelled to Zenica after Visoko where he attended a luncheon at the University of Zenica in his honor.
