BELGRADE - Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said ?Sunday on a visit to neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) that bilateral cooperation would continue after Croatia joins the European Union (EU), reported the Bosnian news agency Srna.

Josipovic attended ?Mostar Spring celebrations which featured the unveiling of a monument to Nobel Prize winners Ivo Andric for literature and Vladimir Prelog for chemistry. Both Nobel laureates were Bosnian-born and of Croat background.

"We are well prepared to continue the good quality trade, exchange of cultural goods and free movement of people," said Josipovic, assuring Bosnian officials of a continued relationship.

Croatia is set to become a full member state of the EU on July 1 2013.

This was Josipovic's fourth visit to Mostar since becoming president two years ago.