Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) will jointly work on the exchange of experience in the preparation of negotiating positions for chapters related to agriculture, rural development, food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy, and fisheries.
This was stated at the meeting of the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Aleksandar Stijović, and the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Staša Košarac.
As announced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Stijović and Košarac discussed the improvement of cooperation and the improvement of the volume of foreign trade exchange, and at the meeting opinions were exchanged on the cooperation between Montenegro and BiH in the light of the European integration process.
It is stated that Stijović and Košarac agreed that in the coming period, in accordance with the constitutional competences and in coordination with the competent entity ministries, they will jointly work on the exchange of experiences in the preparation of negotiating positions for chapters related to the fields of agriculture, rural development, food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policies, fisheries.
"As well as the use of funds from the pre-accession funds of the European Union (EU) and participation in the IPA program of cross-border cooperation with Montenegro," the statement added.
The interlocutors, as announced, pointed to the need for cooperation and exchange of experiences in approaching EU legislation.
"Especially from the field of viticulture and winemaking, fruit and vegetables, and the need for business-technical cooperation in the field of fruit and vegetable processing industry, as well as the processing and processing of medicinal plants, but also cooperation in the organization of joint seminars and workshops of Technical Assistance (TAIEX) provided by the European Commission", the announcement states.
It is added that Stijović and Košarac put a special focus on the use of international financial resources in order to improve cooperation in the field of animal husbandry between Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Košarac said that agriculture is the entity's primary competence.
He announced that in the next 15 days he will organize a meeting with Stijović and the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republika Srpska, Boris Pašalić, in order to discuss the processing capacities of Herzegovina, with an emphasis on the possibility of connecting Gack and Nikšić in this regard.
According to reports, the meeting also discussed the joint performance of Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina in larger markets, such as the Chinese market, and the use of the potential and services of the port of Bar in providing foreign trade traffic.
The interlocutors, speaking about the importance of integrated border crossings, assessed that in the coming period it is necessary to intensify activities on the formation of integrated border crossings Deleuša and Zupci, which, as stated, will be a significant step forward for the promotion of trade and economic ties between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.
Stijović and Košarac confirmed their readiness to actively work together with the competent representatives of Serbia to solve the problem of waste, which floats down the river Drina and ends up at the Višegrad Hydroelectric Power Plant (HE), endangering its work.
Košarac concluded that it is necessary to solve the issue at the regional level in order to preserve energy stability and enable the smooth operation of HE Višegrad.
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