Peace, stability and prosperity of the Balkans are very important, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the Istanbul International Airport on Monday ahead of the departure to Sarajevo, where he is set to attend a regional meeting within the Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP).

“Our country has no luxury to observe from aside the developments on these territories,” Erdogan told media.

The President of Turkey arrived in the Bosnian capital in the company of Turkish finance minister, defence minister and minister for transport and infrastructure.

Prior to the SEECP meeting that will gather heads of state from other countries in the region at the nearby Mount Jahorina on Tuesday, Erdogan held a meeting with Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency members and paid a visit to the Turkish military mission at the EUFOR base in Sarajevo. He also visited the grave of the first Bosnian President, Alija Izetbegovic.

The arrival of the Turkish President in Sarajevo was overshadowed by a minor accident at the Sarajevo International Airport when his security guards collided with Bosnia’s Border Police members, Border Police chief confirmed for N1.

“The Border Police were only doing their job in line with the laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with announced controls and procedure, the minimum control we have to conduct on VIP guests. They were arrogant and unfair, and so unprofessional. If we had responded in the same way, it would have led to more open conflict, although a hustle occurred anyway,” said Zoran Galic, the Border Police chief.

“We insisted on the procedures. It was totally unfair and arrogant on their part. If we came to Turkey like that, we would be arrested,” he added.