Speaking to reporters in the capital of the Bosnian Serb entity after meeting with the chairman of Bosnia's collective state presidency, the Serb Nebojsa Radmanovic, and the Presidency's Bosniak member, Bakir Izetbegovic, Josipovic said that he met with two of his friends and that he invited Bosnian Presidency members to visit Croatia, which was accepted.

"The highest authorities in all countries in the region have special responsibility to take the entire region on the path of peace and cooperation towards a European future, they have the obligation to show people optimism and to bring optimism to the region," Josipovic said.

He expressed confidence that this was already being done because the High Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Valentin Inzko, with whom he had met before arriving in Banja Luka, had told him that "our countries now have an image that is different than the one they had a year ago".

"It is very important that we are perceived as very serious countries, as serious partners, committed to the highest civilisational and human values."

Bosnian Presidency chairman Radmanovic expressed satisfaction with Banja Luka welcoming the president of the friendly neighbour Croatia, saying that over the last few months very close cooperation had been established between the two countries and that it was intensifying in all areas.

The three officials discussed current topics and exchanged information on the situation in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with emphasis on Croatia's integration with the EU and the establishment of bodies of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"The leaders of Western Balkan countries should take matters into their own hands and decide among themselves how the region they live in will look like," Radmanovic said.

Asked why the meeting in Banja Luka was not attended by the Croat member of the Bosnian Presidency, Zeljko Komsic, Radmanovic said that Komsic had been abroad for the last two days and that otherwise he would have been in Banja Luka.

"The Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina functions unanimously and, at least at this moment, there are no differences, in any case there would be none when President Josipovic is in question," Radmanovic said.

The Presidency's Bosniak member, Bakir Izetbegovic, said that a new, improved atmosphere and new optimism could be felt in the region, and that President Josipovic was among those who had contributed to it.

"President Josipovic inspires other political leaders (in the region) and I am grateful to him for that," Izetbegovic said, adding that he was honoured to be able to attend a ceremony that was to be held in Banja Luka later in the evening at which Josipovic was to receive the Person of the Year Award of Banja Luka's Nezavisne Novine daily, which Izetbegovic said he obviously deserved.

"We have discussed how the integration of former Yugoslav countries with the European Union can be accelerated. I believe that in the foreseeable time we will again live in a single country - a civilised and well-organised EU," Izetbegovic said.

After meeting with the members of the Bosnian Presidency, Josipovic also met with representatives of the Association of Banja Luka Croats and the Association of Croat Returnees to Republika Srpska. He was also expected to meet with Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and representatives of Croats living in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croat refugees.

Josipovic was scheduled to attend a ceremony at which he was to receive the Person of the Year Award 2010 with which he has been honoured by Nezavisne Novine daily for his contribution to the promotion of cooperation in Southeast Europe.

The ceremony was to be attended by the presidents of Serbia and Montenegro, Boris Tadic and Filip Vujanovic, representatives of Bosnia's three constituent peoples, and some 20 ambassadors accredited in Bosnia and Herzegovina.