Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria, Alexander Schallenberg, attended today's handover of the first contingent of vaccines to Bosnia and Herzegovina from the European Union mechanism.

Schallenberg pointed out that his presence at this event, as well as the presence of European Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi, is a strong message that the European Union is with B&H and will not give up on helping our country in the fight against coronavirus pandemic.

-The vaccines that arrived in B&H today are the result of a joint effort. When asked if Austria could coordinate aid in the form of vaccines for the Balkans, we immediately accepted. We did this because we understand that our security depends on the security situation in neighboring countries. More than 200,000 families from B&H live in Austria, so your safety is important to us- said Minister Schallenberg.

He added that this is the first step in the European Union's assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that this practice will continue in the future.