BiH hosts Central European Initiative summit in Sarajevo

Denis Zvizdic, the chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), opened a summit of the heads of government of the Central European Initiative (CEI) here on Tuesday.

Participants exchanged views on the European integration process in the light of the migration crisis as well as on infrastructural connectivity of the CEI region as a precondition for sustainable development and regional and European integration processes.

"In this critical moment for all of us, when we are facing an unprecedented migration crisis in the region, an increased extremism, European enlargement fatigue and a slowdown in the economic development, our continent and region need more cooperation and coordination," Zvizdic said in his opening speech.

"Today, threats to security and stability arise from many coincident challenges. In order to achieve more security we need to rebuild trust," CEI secretary general Giovanni Caracciolo di Vietri said in his welcome speech.

Belarusian Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov pointed out that his country regarded the CEI as a significant platform for promoting dialogue and pragmatic cooperation in the region.

Founded in 1989, the CEI is a regional intergovernmental forum committed to supporting European integration through cooperation among its 18 member states.

BiH has been a full member of CEI since July 1992, and in December last year it took over the chairmanship of the parliamentary assembly of CEI from Macedonia. Endit