The cooperation between Bosnia and Austria is excellent, Chairman of Bosnia's Presidency Zeljko Komsic and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen agreed in Vienna on Thursday, expressing satisfaction with overall relations between the two countries.

Komsic arrived in the Austrian capital for an official visit and was welcomed with full military honours.

The two officials discussed various issues during the meeting, including the ongoing political and social developments in Europe.

They noted that the Republic of Austria is the largest investor in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while some 200,000 Bosnian nationals live and do business in Austria.

The Austrian President said that his country supports the accession of Bosnia and the whole region in the European Union, and he expressed interest in the internal relations within the region as well as the processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Komsic informed his host about the political situation in the country, stressing that the reason why the state-level government has not been formed a year after the elections are of political nature and that some political representatives do not respect laws and decisions regarding the country's Euro-Atlantic integration.

It is impossible to move the country backwards, stressed the Presidency Chairman, especially regarding the NATO integration because it is, as he said, illegal and poses a political problem.

There is no reason to stop the NATO road of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he added.

He also said that Austria's military neutrality cannot be used as an argument against Bosnia's NATO integration and cannot be related with political intentions of the NATO opponents in Bosnia, because these two are different perceptions of neutrality, according to him.

NATO means safety and stability for Bosnia and Herzegovina, which Austria already has, Komsic said.

As for the path to the European Union, the Presidency Chairman said he affirms all recommendations the European Commission expressed in its Opinion on Bosnia's membership application.

The President of Austria accepted the invitation to pay an official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina.