Members of the Committee on Foreign Trade and Customs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign and Trade Policy, Customs, Transportation and Communications of the House of Peoples meet with the Chairman of the WTO Working Party on the Accession of BiH

Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Trade and Customs of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PABiH), Šemsudin Mehmedović, and members of this Committee, Nikola Lovrinović and Mensura Beganović, as well as Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Foreign and Trade Policy, Customs, Transportation and Communications of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, Sead Kadić and Mario Karamatić, spoke today in Sarajevo with the Chairman of the WTO Working Party on the Accession of BiH, Ambassador Atanas Paparizov, about the dynamics of the final negotiations of our country for accession to the WTO.

Thanking the Ambassador Paparizov on sincere support rendered to our country since taking office of the Chairman of the Working Group on Accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as for the constructive discussions conducted with the Delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly in December of last year in Buenos Aires, representatives and delegates of both Houses emphasised that there is a full consensus of all political parties in our country, as well as the political will of all institutions to complete the remaining bilateral negotiations with Brazil, Ukraine and Russia as soon as possible, and the accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the WTO.

In this regard, representatives of the relevant committee in the both PABiH Houses stated that the full membership of BiH in the WTO will represent a strong incentive for the development of the economy of our country, as well as fulfilling of the important conditions for the continuation of the European integration process of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Emphasising that he was encouraged by the full commitment of representatives of the most important institutions of BiH to the completion of negotiations on accession to the WTO, Ambassador Paparizov said that the meetings of the Working Party in Geneva will be held in February and May or June of this year, and expressed optimism that in these meetings and negotiations with these three countries there will be progress that would enable Bosnia and Herzegovina to sign the WTO Accession Treaty.

The final decision on the membership of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the WTO should be taken at the end of July this year, said Ambassador Paparizov, and added that he would do everything in his power so that the WTO General Council adopts such a decision. (End)