(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 30 NOV - "Italy and Croatia have decided to continue their close collaboration to favor and speed up the European path of the Western Balkans. We will work side by side in the coming days starting with the approval of the negotiating frameworks for Albania and North Macedonia, which we hope will occur as soon as possible." Italy's Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said at a press conference in Zagreb with his counterpart Gordan Grlic Radman. "We also intend to make an important contribution to relaunch the European path of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Di Maio added - 25 years after the signing of the Dayton peace accords, we do think that only the full anchoring of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European values and standards can grant a future of prosperity and growth to all its citizens." The Croatian FM underlined that "for Croatia, the priority is a stable and democratic Bosnia, without which it is not possible to guarantee the equality of all three of its peoples and citizens." "Italy is working on rules and laws to proclaim the Exclusive Economic Zone in the Adriatic Sea, a step that our Croatian friends are also taking to ensure the maximum possible protection of the Adriatic Sea," Italy's Foreign Minister said.

"We have decided - Di Maio added - to start negotiations as soon as possible for the maritime delimitation agreement between our countries, which will help us strengthen our partnership." (ANSA).