Deepening Relations Between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovakia: Focus on Healthcare and Social Protection

The Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dubravka Bošnjak, met today in Sarajevo with the Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to BiH, Roman Hlobeň, and the Deputy Ambassador, Patrik Turošík. The discussion focused on enhancing cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the areas of healthcare, social security, education, science, culture, sports, and demining.

The importance of cooperation in healthcare was especially emphasized. Minister Bošnjak informed her counterparts that Bosnia and Herzegovina has expressed interest in becoming a member of Eurotransplant, and highlighted the significance of exchanging experiences with the Slovak Republic on organ transplantation issues. Although Slovakia does not have a bilateral agreement on cross-border organ exchange with Eurotransplant, it is a member of the FOEDUS platform, dedicated to organ exchange when organs are not available in the countries, making its experiences highly valuable for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The possibility of organizing joint events was proposed, where Slovak experts could share their knowledge in this field, as well as their experiences with the goal of better implementing the EU program EU4Health in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Minister Bošnjak welcomed the initiative of the Slovak Republic to initiate negotiations on a new bilateral social security agreement that would align with modern European standards and better reflect the current needs of the citizens of both countries.

Minister Bošnjak thanked Ambassador Hlobeň for the support, the Slovak Republic has provided to Bosnia and Herzegovina through financing demining actions and expressed hope for the continuation of successful cooperation in other areas of mutual interest.