ANKARA - The Turkish foreign minister defined on Wednesday as negative the new visa proposal of the European Union (EU).
Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that EU's proposal was a negative message to the Balkan region.
The EU proposed on July 15 to lift visa procedures for Western Balkan countries including Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia by the end of this year, but excluded Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania and Kosovo out of this process since they have not fulfilled required criteria.
"Exclusion of Bosnia-Herzegovina from the new visa practice of the EU is a negative message towards the region," Davutoglu told a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Sven Alkalaj of Bosnia-Herzegovina in Ankara.
Davutoglu also said Turkey hoped the EU would implement policies that covered the entire region and that did not exclude any ethnic or religious groups.
"I hope this issue will not turn into a matter bringing forth ethnic and religious differences again, and will be overcome soon," he said.
On bilateral relations, Davutoglu said two countries were in full consensus about political issues and economic relations between the two countries were further improving.
The minister said Turkey was also closely interested in the future of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Bosnia-Herzegovina's stability meant the stability of the Balkans, and the stability of the Balkans meant the stability of Europe.
Davutoglu said participation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, as a sovereign and independent state in international community was among prior foreign policy topics of Turkey.
Also, the Turkish minister underlined importance of integration of Bosnia-Herzegovina to EU and NATO for its own stability and for that of Turkey.
Davutoglu said that the region should assume a new vision, which would no more make it a region of crises and tensions but a region of common security, stability, peace and prosperity.
"If we turn the Balkans into a region of security, stability and welfare, we can also turn it into a strong area of stability in EU and NATO, and we have decided to cooperate on this issue," he said.
Davutoglu said Turkey was ready to extend every type of support to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
"We are sure that our region will be safer and more prosperous as long as we ensure the stability, security and welfare of Bosnia-Herzegovina," Davutoglu also said.
Also speaking in the press conference, Alkalaj said Turkey was an important actor in the region and played a key role in restoring stability.
Alkanaj also said Bosnia-Herzegovina was expecting Turkish companies to make more investments within its territories, and enumerated some of the areas of investment as infrastructural projects, highway construction and energy projects.
The foreign minister also said that Davutoglu and he discussed Bosnia-Herzegovina's possibility to join the Nabucco natural gas project.
Davutoglu and Alkanaj discussed bilateral relations and regional developments in their meeting.
Alkalaj is expected to meet Turkish business circles in Istanbul on Thursday.