We all have so much on our plates right now that most people did not hear about a 50 million euro ($63 million, TL 144 million) loan that Turkey's state-owned Ziraat Bank has extended to consumers and businesses in Bosnia-Herzegovina in an effort to contribute to the country's economic development and add new jobs in the country. The official ceremony took place at Hotel Bristol in Sarajevo where Ziraat Bank General Manager Hüseyin Aydın noted said the bank had been on the offensive in Bosnia-Herzegovina for the past two years and reminded the audience that the bank had created thousands of jobs over the years.Do not think that I am making a big fuss about a simple financial initiative - this is an important development. Nineteen years have passed since Bosnia-Herzegovina became an independent country. In addition to pressing administrative problems associated with the Dayton Accords, the nation is experiencing major economic troubles - the fact that the unemployment rate has exceeded 60 percent according to official stats provides a pretty good idea about the situation there. Meanwhile, two-thirds of the country's population lives below the poverty line, and this is an issue that has repercussions beyond the economy. A number of political observers correctly assert that widespread poverty could trigger a new wave of ethnic clashes in Bosnia-Herzegovina.As a matter of fact, street demonstrations in Sarajevo over high unemployment a few months ago had caused Serbs and Croats to get excited. To make matters worse, the Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic skipped diplomatic procedures to make a trip to Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina and announced that his government would ask the EU to step in unless the authorities prevented further clashes.Ziraat Bank's activities in Bosnia-Herzegovina are particularly important for a number of reasons: until recent years, foreign-owned private banks controlled the vast majority of financial enterprises in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Also Bosnians must enjoy economic opportunities in order to keep a lid on Serbian and Croatian expansionism within the federation.Instead of glorified investments with no practical value, it is important to provide a line of credit to help businesses and foster job creation. As a matter of fact, addressing unemployment alone only covers part of the problem area. Bosnians have a problem with property as they often find themselves unable to protect private property and historic artifacts, which is why the beautiful city of Mostar deserves particular attention.The Bosnian community in Mostar is becoming a minority since Croats, who enjoy political and economic support from the Croatian government, have been moving to this part of the country. This effort has created concrete results over the past years. Meanwhile, the Bosnian community in Mostar finds it increasingly difficult to hold on to their property. In response, Turkey should introduce projects and provide financial support to the Bosnian population who must not lose the property war due to poverty.One more thing - we must admit that the Gülen Movement has been rapidly organizing inside Bosnia-Herzegovina and launched a media campaign to discredit Turkey in the eyes of the Bosnian community. Consequently, a large number of cooperation efforts proved futile. Keeping these developments in mind, Turkey must consider this new challenge in its relations with the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina.So much remains to be done in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the broader Balkan Peninsula. Over the next month, the attention we pay to the Middle East cannot distract us from our activities in the Balkans. This would, no doubt, be a serious mistake.