Sarajevo, possible venue in Barcelona's bid to host 2030 winter olympics

Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, could become one of the venues in Barcelona's bid to hold the Winter Olympic Games in 2030.

This is one of the proposals that came out of Friday's meeting between foreign minister Alfred Bosch and the prime minister of the Sarajevo Canton, Edin Forto.

Bosch, who is on an official trip to the Balkans, stressed the "good rapport" between the two administrations and said the meeting had served to "strengthen ties."

"We were at their side when they needed us, and now they too want to be at our side," said Bosch, who said a "formal" agreement on the Olympic bid was possible.

"We are keen for collaboration between the two cities that have both hosted Olympics. We are now laying down a framework and need to settle on a line to follow," added Bosch.

Both sides also expressed an interest in combating "the threat of the rebirth of fascism, intolerance, xenophobia and the repression of freedoms and basic rights" noted in Europe in recent years.

Bosch also highlighted the "empathy" of the Sarajevo Canton government and other Bosnian authorities with the efforts to find "a democratic solution" to Catalonia's political conflict.

The meeting in Sarajevo brought Bosch's three-day visit to the Balkans to an end, which the minister described as "very productive" in the areas of tourism, culture, and business.