January 20 (SeeNews) - The presidents of Turkey and Serbia, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Aleksandar Vucic, have agreed to initiate talks between the three members of Bosnia and Herzegovina's collective presidency in an attempt to dissipate ethnic tensions, Turkish media reported.
Turkey and Serbia share their respect for Bosnia's territorial integrity and have the aim to end tensions in the country using a positive approach, the Daily Sabah newspaper quoted Erdogan as saying during a joint news conference with Vucic in Ankara on Tuesday.
Turkish defence minister Hulusi Akar said last month that if requested, Turkey can act as a mediator for the resolving of the political crisis in Bosnia in order to ensure stability in the country, Bosnian media reported at the time.
In mid-December, the parliament of the Serb Republic, one of two autonomous entities that make up Bosnia and Herzegovina, said it voted in favour of transferring control of the armed and security forces, the judiciary and the indirect taxation authority from state to entity level in what was seen as a move towards the entity's secession from Bosnia. The embassies of the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy and the EU Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina said in a joint statement last month that the vote is a "further escalatory step" which can damage the economic prospects of the Serb Republic and threaten the stability of Bosnia and the entire region.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has been divided into two constituent entities - the Serb Republic (RS) and the Federation (FBiH) under the Dayton peace agreement that put an end to the 1992-1995 war. The Federation and the Serb Republic have their own governments and parliaments and are linked by a weak central government.
Bosnia's presidency is a body comprising three members - one Bosniak, one Serb and one Croat - which collectively serves as head of state of the country.