Turkey uncompromisingly supports the sovereignty, territorial integrity and state institutions of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina Sefik Dzaferovic said Tuesday, reiterating the country's and its people's trust in Ankara.
Dzaferovic made the statement to Anadolu Agency (AA) regarding his meeting with the Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, who was visiting the country for talks in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Emphasizing that Turkey contributes to economic development and stability in the region, he said, "Turkey is the true friend of Bosnia-Herzegovina. It follows the events in Bosnia-Herzegovina very closely. We confirmed this once again in our meeting with Minister Akar."
Expressing that Turkey supports the 26-year Dayton Agreement, Dzaferovic said: "As a member of the Peace Implementation Council, Turkey also supports Bosnia-Herzegovina's path to the European Union and NATO."
The Dayton Agreement is the peace agreement reached at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton in Ohio, U.S., on Nov. 21, 1995, and formally signed in Paris on Dec. 14, 1995. These accords put an end to the 3 1/2 year-long Bosnian War.
The warring parties agreed to peace and a single sovereign state known as Bosnia-Herzegovina composed of two parts, the largely Serb-populated Republika Srpska and mainly the Croat-Bosniak-populated Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. However, the agreement has been criticized for creating ineffective and unwieldy political structures and entrenching the ethnic cleansing of the previous war.
