Bosnia-Herzegovina deserves to be a part of the European Union, the bloc's commissioner for neighborhood and enlargement said Wednesday.
European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi's remarks came at a high-level political forum in the capital Sarajevo.
The forum was hosted by the Council of Ministers and attended by top officials of Bosnia, including the representatives of Bosnia's two entities – the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Republika Srpska.
''We (the EU) think that the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina deserve to be in the European Union. Bosnia and Herzegovina is expected in the European Union as a member,'' said Varhelyi.
The European Council in December last year granted Bosnia and Herzegovina candidate status for EU membership.
According to Varhelyi, the status helped Bosnia form a government and set a budget in record time.
He said that Bosnia-Herzegovina should fulfill the 14 priorities determined by the EU.
"We need Bosnia and Herzegovina to be and to continue to be our ally. At a time when Russia is waging a war against Ukraine, Europe needs all of its allies," he added.
The chairwoman of the Council of Ministers, Borjana Kristo, said her country is ready for the EU membership process.
"We received a clear message from the EU that Bosnia and Herzegovina belongs to the Union. All the representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina are ready for the EU membership process. I am very happy with the transfer,'' said Kristo.
Bosnia-Herzegovina's top priorities are joining the political and economic community of European states along with joining NATO.
The Balkan country became a potential candidate for the bloc during the European Council summit in Thessaloniki, Greece in 2003.
It officially applied for EU membership in 2016.
Candidacy status is the first step in a country's long-term EU accession process.
After a country is granted candidate status, accession negotiations begin in stages, provided that the conditions are met.
Accession negotiations can take years to begin.