Bosnian leader Izetbegovic hails Turkish-Bosnian economic ties

Bakir Izetbegovic, the Bosniak member of the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said on Saturday his country enjoys a strong economic link with Turkey.

His remarks came ahead of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Bosnia on Sunday.

"There have always been close emotional and familial bonds between Turks and Bosnians, and now there are strong economic ties."

He said the ties were traced back to the time of the first Bosnian leader Alija Izetbegovic, who enjoyed a great friendship with the Turkish president

He also underlined the Turkish support in terms of maintaining peace in the Balkans and facilitating Bosnia's integration with the NATO.

Regarding Sunday's visit of Erdoğan, he added that transport ministries of the two countries would sign a letter of goodwill, which will define the elements of a highway project between Bosnian capital Sarajevo to Serbian capital Belgrade with the support of Turkey.

By hosting more than 3 million refugees, Turkey is helping not only the refugees but Europe also, he said, noting that the European countries understand Turkey more.