"But when it comes to the relations between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, I believe the area of cooperation will expand, and Croatia's accession to the European Union will have a very good effect on Bosnia and Herzegovina," Josipovic told reporters on a bridge across the Sava which connects the Brcko district in northeastern Bosnia and the Croatian municipality of Gunja.
Josipovic is on a two-day visit to Bosnia. Upon arriving in Brcko, he walked to the middle of the bridge together with the political representatives of the district and the EU, where they toasted Croatia's July 1 EU accession with champagne and cake.
Responding to questions from the press, Josipovic said Croatia would be satisfied with any solution to Bosnia's organisation on which all three Bosnian peoples and all Bosnian citizens agreed. "Analyses show that a third entity is not the solution, but that's a matter of agreement."
Brcko Mayor Anto Domic said Croatia's EU accession was a challenge and an opportunity for business people. He added that Josipovic's visit was a sign of respect for everything the district's leaders had done so far to develop their region, as well as an encouragement to do more.
"President Ivo Josipovic has come today to open the door and give us a message. We want the optimism now being felt in Croatia after the EU accession to pass on to us so that we can see that, with a lot of effort and hard work, everything can be accomplished," said Domic.
The EU has come to Bosnia's border and given that the Croatian-Bosnian border is more than 1,000 km long, it makes perfect sense that Croatia is Bosnia's closest partner, said Peter Sorensen, head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative to Bosnia.
He said the fact that Josipovic chose Bosnia for his first visit after Croatia's EU accession represented an encouragement that Europe was open to all who wanted to join and do their homework.
Sorensen voiced confidence that most Bosnian citizens wanted to "cross the bridge" so that Bosnia too could become part of the EU.
In Brcko, Josipovic talked with the district's leaders and business people about the possibilities of cooperation between Croatia and this region in northeastern Bosnia.
While walking through town from the bridge to the city hall, Josipovic was greeted by citizens.