“I want to concentrate on public diplomacy,” he said. “We have to explain to people in Republika Srpska that NATO is not a military organisation, NATO is a civil organisation. Ambassadors in NATO are creating decisions, not soldiers. The military is only a part of NATO.”

The restoration of mosques carried out by the Foundation of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet Vakfı) and the Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA) constitute solid ground for Davutoğlu’s public diplomacy in the Balkans.

Work is set to begin building a new town inspired by the writing of Yugoslavian Nobel literature laureate Ivo Andrić, following plans by film director Emir Kusturica and the Republika Srpska's government. Andrić, who won the Nobel in 1961, is best known for his novel The Bridge on the Drina, the inspiration behind the new town of Andrićgrad.

Sarajevo announced plans to open a museum of its brutal siege by Bosnian Serb forces, saying the approaching trial of their commander Ratko Mladic made it all the more important to display the evidence. The collection includes an encyclopedia on the siege and 1,400 filmed accounts of witnesses.

This shows that the EU as a guiding framework is particularly successful if it offers the chance of a better future through the possibility of membership. Europe's soft power stems... is a more attractive message than that of mass murderer Mladic after all.

Meetings of high ranking U.S. diplomats with leaders of the countries will focus on issues on the bilateral agenda and the regional situation. They will meet with representatives of civil society and media in each of the countries, the State Department reports.

A top official in Bosnia said Saturday that Angelina Jolie is interested in supporting education and other projects to help young Bosnians and people who return to homes they left during the war.