European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that the future of Bosnia Herzegovina "lies in the EU."
"I must say that our cooperation so far has been excellent, thank you for that. We will continue our close cooperation in the coming period," von der Leyen said during a visit to the nation's capital of Sarajevo. "Bosnia and Herzegovina is in unity. We must act. We cannot allow our common values to decline anywhere in your country.''
The EU will continue to support Bosnia on its path to the EU, she told reporters after meeting with members of the Presidential Council of Bosnia.
She said the resolving political crises played a major role in Bosnia's candidate country status.
"You know that progress in Bosnia and Herzegovina depends largely on dialogue, mutual respect, respect for the constitutional structure and constitutional powers,'' said von der Leyen.
A group protested von der Leyen in front of the Presidential Building while she was meeting with members of the Presidency Council.
Demonstrators carried banners that read: "EU and von der Leyen are complicit in the genocide in Gaza" and "Ceasefire now."
Von der Leyen is currently on a mini tour of the Western Balkans that began Sunday in North Macedonia and took her to Montenegro and Serbia after Kosovo.
