The Ambassadors of the Italian Republic and the French Republic to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarah Eti Castellani and François Delmas, paid a visit to Bijeljina today. On that occasion, they met with the Mayor of Bijeljina, Ljubiša Petrović, to discuss the social and economic situation in the City of Bijeljina, the cooperation between the local administration and the two embassies, as well as projects that could form the backbone of future cooperation.
 
Mayor Petrović presented to the ambassadors the concept of a Free Zone, for the establishment of which activities were initiated last year, with the aim of having the information conveyed to their respective chambers of commerce and potential investors, as well as highlighting other investment incentives. This part of the discussion also addressed the arrival of the French Development Agency in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
 
The interlocutors also reflected on cultural cooperation in previous years, primarily the organisation of the Days of Francophonie and the Days of Italian and French Culture during the Saint Panteleimon Days. The Ambassador of Italy took the opportunity to express her satisfaction with the cooperation between the City of Bijeljina and the Italian Association “Rino Zandonai”, while possibilities for linking local sports clubs with clubs in Italy were also considered. On this occasion, cooperation was also agreed with the Ambassador of France on organising a new edition of the Days of Francophonie in March this year.
 
The ambassadors further expressed their readiness for their embassies to take part in the project “Let’s Clean Semberija”.
 
The final part of the discussion was devoted to the European integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The participants agreed on the importance of Bosnia and Herzegovina continuing the process of accession to the European Union by implementing the necessary reforms, particularly given that significant financial resources provided by the EU, the country’s main partner, remain unused.