Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusic expressed her support to the extension of the mandate for the EU-led peacekeeping operation Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the news from Brussels said on Wednesday.
Pusic, who attends the EU meeting in Brussels, said that the EU-led peacekeeping operation is an important element to contribute to the stability in the country.
She said it is necessary to extend the Operation Althea at a time of elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, scheduled in October this year and at a time when the EU is changing its approach to the country.
She added that "11 or 12 countries that attended the meeting share the same opinion and will work together to ensure the mandate is extended."
The Operation Althea was launched in December 2004 after the UN Security Council passed a resolution approving the deployment of an EU peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The UN Security Council extended the mandate of the operation in November 2013.