Bosnia and Herzegovina enjoys Croatia's full support in its Euro-Atlantic integration, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said during a meeting in Zagreb on Wednesday with the Croat member of Bosnia and Herzegovina's tripartite presidency, Dragan Covic, who congratulated Croatia on the start of the construction of the Peljesac Bridge.

The meeting was also attended by the Croatian Foreign Minister, Marija Pejcinovic-Buric, and the senior official of the Central State Office for Croats Abroad, Zvonko Milas.

The meeting focused on bilateral relations between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, their cooperation in trade, transport, and infrastructure, as well as their joint efforts in combating illegal migration, a government press release said.

“Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a our neighbouring, friendly, partner country, enjoys Croatia’s support in the process of getting closer to (joining) the European Union and NATO,” Plenkovic said.

The importance of the rule of law in Bosnia was also discussed, in terms of upholding the institutional equality of the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina in accordance with the principle of equality of the country’s three constituent peoples, and their legitimate representation at all administrative and political levels of government.

Also discussed was the construction of the Peljesac Bridge about to be built by Croatia, paid for largely by EU funding and constructed by the Chinese CRBC consortium, intended to link Croatia’s mainland and the Peljesac peninsula in southern Croatia. The construction formally began on Monday, and is expected to be completed within 36 months.

Plenkovic said that the bridge would help connect southern Dalmatia with the rest of Croatia and ease the traffic load at the border between Croatia and Bosnia at the Bosnian seaside town of Neum, which is Bosnia’s only access to the Adriatic Sea.

Covic congratulated Croatia on the start of construction of the Peljesac Bridge, saying that the full extent of its importance would only become clear in the future, because the project will not only connect Croatia’s territory, but also the wider region and the European Union.

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