POLITICAL-GEOGRAPHICAL VALORIZATION OF THE BORDER SPACE OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA IN THE FUNCTION OF IDENTIFICATION OF POSSIBLE DIRECTIONS OF TRANSBORDER COOPERATION AND FORMATION OF PERSPECTIVE TRANSBORDER REGIONS

Abstract

The border region of Bosnia and Herzegovina has characteristics of a problem area with an emphasized depopulation process, accompanied by poor economic development and infrastructural disconnection. Along with the mentioned reasons, the appearance of isolation and peripherality, and given the specific geopolitical circumstances, the problems in certain border areas differ from each other (a high level of ethnic conflict and distrust, then the problem of refugees and forced migrants, the slow process of economic transition and many others). The subject of the research in this paper will be related to the analysis and the role of transborder cooperation as a relatively new way of policy in the field of cooperation between political-territorial units, whose goal and function, regarding the geospatial of Bosnia and Herzegovina in particular, is the formation of perspective transborder regions. Also, the aim of the paper would point out that the planning of these areas through the concept of transborder cooperation in the context of political and geographical valorisation represents one of the guidelines, not only for revitalization of the border area in economic terms, but also as a guideline of the future concept of ethnic tolerance and geopolitical stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Western Balkans countries in general. Realiyation of the work is planned by complex general and special methods and techniques of data processing (statistical, cartographic, GIS analysis), in accordance with historical, structural, functional and dialectical methodological approach, then by determining the development functions of the border space, and monitoring of political and geographical processes and problems.