Ireland will support Bosnia's efforts to join the European Union when it takes over the presidency of the EU next year, Minister for Foreign Affairs Brian Cowen said today
Published:
16 May 2003 y., Friday
Brian Cowen met with his Bosnian counterpart, Bosnia's three-member multiethnic presidency and its international administrators in Sarajevo as part of Ireland's preparations to take over the EU's rotating presidency in 2004.
Relations between Ireland and Bosnia have improved, and Ireland will support Bosnia's quest for eventual EU membership, Mr Cowen said. But he said Bosnians first must make sweeping improvements to their emerging democracy and wrecked economy.
Mr Cowen, who is also visiting Serbia, Kosovo and Macedonia, met Bosnia's top international administrator, Lord Ashdown, who briefed him on progress in developing the rule of law, combating criminal networks and promoting economic reform and institution-building in Bosnia.
Lord Ashdown said Ireland could serve as a useful model for Bosnia.
EU membership is considered to be at least a decade out of Bosnia's grasp.
The country is still rebuilding after its 1992-95 war, which killed at least 250,000 people and drove another one million from their homes.
Šaltinis:
online.ie
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
At the European Union‘s General Affairs Council meeting on 7 December in Brussels, Lithuania‘s Minister of Foreign Affairs and his counterparts discussed preparation of the European Council scheduled for 10–11 December, as well as a work programme prepared by the trio of future EU presidencies: Spain, Belgium and Hungary.
more »
On December 9, Wednesday, President Dalia Grybauskaitė will receive Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council.
more »
In the meeting with leaders of parliamentary groups of the Seimas, President of the Republic of Lithuania D. Grybauskaitė underlined that the state budget for 2010 would decide whether Lithuania would manage to overcome the economic downturn or, on the contrary, fall deeper into it, and urged all political forces to assume political responsibility.
more »
On 8–9 December, Vilnius will host consultations among the U.S.A., Italy, Spain, and Lithuania - the four countries which lead Provincial Reconstruction Teams under the Regional Command West of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
more »
President Dalia Grybauskaitė extended congratulations to President Tarja Kaarina Halonen of Finland on the occasion of Independence Day.
more »
Continuing his official visit to India, today Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas together with Economy Minister Dainius Kreivys and a business delegation of 28 members arrived in Mumbai, India’s financial centre.
more »
On 2-5 December, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas is paying an official visit to India.
more »
During the plenary session of the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on 1 December in Athens, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs V. Ušackas stressed the importance of the dialogue on European security for strengthening the mutual confidence of the participating States.
more »
President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė received Ambassador of the United States of America to Lithuania, Anne Elizabeth Derse.
more »
On 26 November in Vilnius, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas met with Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia David Bakradze, who is on a visit to Lithuania.
more »