SARAJEVO – Economic cooperation between Bosnia and Switzerland should significantly improve, Bosnian and Swiss Foreign Ministers Sven Alkalaj and Micheline Calmy-Ray said on Thursday in Sarajevo.

Calmy-Ray, who arrived in Sarajevo for a one-day official visit, agreed with her Bosnian counterpart to help economic cooperation by informing Swiss businessmen about the possibilities in Bosnia.

She said Bosnia-Herzegovina would remain a priority in the Swiss programmes of cooperation in the region, which includes Swiss presence with the European Union Force (EUFOR) and the EU Police Mission (EUPM) in Bosnia, plus assistance in constitutional reform, de-mining and ecology programmes.

Calmy-Ray also said Switzerland would continue assistance to the judicial reform in Bosnia-Herzegovina hoping "to see the persons indicted for war crimes before justice soon" which would help maintain peace and stability in the country.

Switzerland, according to minister Alkalaj, has helped Bosnia- Herzegovina with CHF 330 million so far – the biggest Swiss assistance ever to a transition country.

[Copyright dpa 2008]