Zagreb and Ankara to join forces to help Bosnia enter NATO and EU

(ZAGREB) - Croatia and Turkey announced Thursday that they will join forces to help Bosnia with its desired entry into NATO and the European Union.

"We have decided to start (a series of) talks about the situation in Southeastern Europe, on how to contribute to the stability, peace and prosperity of the region and to see how we can help Bosnia on its euro-atlantic path," Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said after a meeting with his Turkish and Bosnian counterparts.

"We are delighted that Turkey will join us in this because we have already worked together in the 1990s when we he contributed to help calm down the situation in Bosnia" during the 1992-95 war in Bosnia, he added.

Bosnia, together with Kosovo, remains one of the countries in the western Balkans that is the least advanced in the process of securing both NATO and EU membership.

Observers say this is mainly due to the failure of Bosnian politicians to adopt the reforms needed for the state institutions in the county to run smoothly. The decision-making process is often blocked due to conflict among the countries different ethnic groups.

Since the 1992-1995 war, Bosnia consists of two halves -- the Serbs' Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation. They are linked by weak central institutions and each has its own government.

The unclear division of authority between the two entities often leads to paralysis which usually has to be resolved by the intervention of the High Representative.

The post of this international envoy was due to be phased out in 2007 but the mandate was extended because of political instability and the failure of local politicians to pass reforms.