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
President of the Republic of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus congratulated President of the Federal Republic of Germany Horst Köhler on the Day of German Unity.
more »
President of the Republic of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus visited the Military Air Force Base in Zokniai where NATO Baltic air-policing mission is deployed.
more »
Thursday, October 2, Vilnius – Today President of the Republic of Lithuania met with the Director General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Mr. Rogelio Pfirter.
more »
President of the Republic of Lithuania sent congratulations on behalf of himself and the people of Lithuania to the President of the People’s Republic of China Hu Jintao and to the President of the Republic of Cyprus Dimitris Christofias on the national holidays of their countries.
more »
On October 1 State Secretary of the Ministry of National Defence Jurate Raguckiene will take part in the annual Industry Day organised in Brussels by the NATO Allied Command Transformation.
more »
Concluding his working visit to the United States of America, President of the Republic of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus visited the Newseum, a museum of news and journalism.
more »
Minister of National Defence Juozas Olekas met with the Chief of Defence Staff of Luxembourg Gen. Gaston Reinig and congratulated the country’s decision to join the EU monitoring mission (EUMM) in Georgia, September 30.
more »
During his working visit to Greece, Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas continued to look for EU solidarity in addressing Lithuania’s energy security problems.
more »
Lithuanian team of five – representatives of the Foreign and National Defence Ministries and Police Department under the Ministry of the Interior – was sent to the EU Observer Mission to Georgia
more »
The US financial crisis and global ripple effects, including the EU and Lithuania, have been among major issues discussed between Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas and EU Commissioner responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs Joaquin Almunia in their meeting earlier today.
more »