SARAJEVO, Bosnia Herzegovina
Greece supports Bosnia-Herzegovina’s NATO and EU membership, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias has said Thursday.
Kotzias, during a joint press conference with Bosnian Foreign Minister Igor Crnadak in Sarajevo, assured that Greece would do whatever it could to help Bosnia fulfill its aspirations.
“I dream of the day when we will say to you ‘welcome’ but until then a lot of work need to be done,” Kotzias said.
Kotzias’s Bosnia visit comes hours after the Greek parliament approved a bill of tough measures and economic reforms early Thursday morning.
The harsh austerity package proposed by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, aimed at satisfying the country’s European creditors and securing a three-year bailout worth 85 billion euros ($93 billion), was greeted with violent protests on the streets of Athens.
Bosnia-Herzegovina has been engaged in talks with NATO regarding its membership aspirations since 2008 and has contributed to the NATO-led missions in Afghanistan since 2009.
Bosnia also enjoys visa liberalization with the Schengen Zone and has signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU.
