Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman on Friday congratulated Bosnian Croat and Bosniak leaders on reaching two agreements on elections, describing them as a "historic step".

The agreements, signed by Dragan Covic of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) and Bakir Izetbegovic of the Democratic Action Party (SDA) on Wednesday, should pave the way for local elections in the southern city of Mostar and for amending the law on the election of the upper house of parliament and the collective state presidency.

Grlic Radman said that the two agreements brought Bosnia and Herzegovina closer to the European Union. “This is a historic step that has removed all the obstacles to holding elections in the City of Mostar and that further safeguards European values by ensuring the legitimate election and legitimate representation of the constituent peoples,” Grlic Radman said in a statement.

Along with the agreement on elections in Mostar, the two parties also agreed on amendments to the City Statute as demanded by the Bosniaks to prevent the Croats from using their numeric supremacy to outvote the Bosniaks.

The amendments should be implemented in accordance with relevant rulings by the Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights.