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WASHINGTON/SARAJEVO, February 7 (FENA) - Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and BiH Foreign Minister Bisera Turković held a number of meetings during her official visit to the United States.
Minister Turković met with Assistant Secretary of Defense Kathryn Wheelbarger in the Pentagon on Tuesday, February 4.
They exchanged opinions on the BiH Reform Program, Regional Security and the degree of interoperability achieved between NATO and potential members.
The topics of discussion included the participation of our military forces in the Mission in Afghanistan, which was assessed as very positive. The possibility of increasing participation in international military missions was also mentioned.
The meeting with USAID Deputy Director for Europe and Eurasia Brock Bierman was a chance to discuss USAID's activities in the region and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During the meeting, the interlocutors also touched on youth cooperation projects, the need to strengthen the fight against corruption, and the need to improve BiH's status in the fight against trafficking in human beings.
Deputy Director emphasized that USAID has invested 1.8 billion KM in various projects since 1996 in Bosnia and Herzegovina and emphasized continued support especially in three areas related to economic space harmonization, efficiency and transparency of state institutions and civil society empowerment.
During her visit to the State Department, Turković held a meeting with Matthew Palmer, US Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, and Maureen Cormack, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.
In the meeting, Minister Turković and her hosts touched upon topics such as the Mini Schengen Initiative in the region, the need to implement the BiH Strategy for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, the priorities of the new convening of the Council of Ministers of BiH and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH, and the time frames for the implementation of the Reform Program.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has been praised for the better and more humane treatment of migrants compared to neighboring Croatia.
Special Envoy Palmer also addressed the proposal for the appointment of Nikola Špirić to the Parliamentary Anti-Corruption Commission of BiH and condemned such intent.
Together, they underlined the need for better efficiency of the courts in order to achieve faster court decisions and the need to establish programs for the reintegration and deradicalization of returnees from foreign battlefields in BiH.
The interlocutors also touched upon the topic of demographics and the departure of young people. Representatives of the US administration stressed the need for privatization of state-owned companies.
Minister Turković initiated the topic of training opportunities for diplomats from BiH at the US Foreign Affairs Institute, and a meeting has been arranged with the Director of the Institute.
Minister Turković participated and was one of the speakers at a meeting of the Forum entitled "Challenges facing Southeastern Europe and the Role of Cyber Security and 5 G", advocating a regional approach, sponsored by Senator James Inhof, Chairman of the Senate Military Committee. She also met with a number of senators and congresspersons who attended the conference.
Meetings at the State Department and USAID were also attended by BiH Ambassador to the United States Bojan Vujić, while the meeting at the Pentagon was attended by the BiH Military Attaché at the Embassy in Washington, Brigadier Zoran Batarilo, stated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH.
(FENA) S. R.
