When mutual economic dependency combines with cultural harmony, Bosnia and Herzegovina will become a very important economic center in its region, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has said.

Speaking at a panel discussion held on the sidelines of the First International Investment Conference-Sarajevo Business Forum 2010, Davutoğlu said that “the Balkans have always been a buffer zone because of its geopolitical position.”

“It has also constituted an economic bridge between the east and the west and between the north and the south,” he added.

“Economic dependency is the best way of ensuring peace. A full economic integration is essential to ensure integrity in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Davutoğlu said. “Such an economic integration will help efforts to provide peace and prosperity in the Balkans.”

Noting that Sarajevo has become a “symbol of peace and security following all those bitter experiences in the past,” the Turkish foreign minister added that the city can now “easily become the center of economic and financial projects” as well