Security Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Selmo Cikotic said he had heard “interesting and sexy ideas” about returning migrants from BiH to their countries of origin.
He also gave a somewhat unbelievable statement, that due to the presence of a large number of migrants, BiH is recording increased consumption, although the country currently has a reduced number of tourists due to the coronavirus, Klix.ba news portal reports.
Analyzing the migrant crisis in BiH, requests for readmission or return of persons to their countries of origin and the many challenges facing BiH regarding this problem, Cikotic said: “I’ve heard a lot of interesting and sexy ideas about migrants being returned to their countries of origin. However, to do that you need a lot of assumptions.”
Cikotic made another very interesting, somewhat shocking statement, commenting on the difficult situation in Una-Sana Canton.
While the local population has been warning for three years of extreme pressures due to the large number of migrants who have occupied streets, villages and towns, Cikotic believes that the presence of illegal migrants in BiH – has a positive aspect.
“There is reduced tourism or some jobs on one side, but you also have increased consumption of many goods due to the presence of migrants who buy, spend, etc.,” he stated.
He also said that the rights and freedoms of the local population were denied and stressed that citizens should cooperate with local and cantonal authorities and that problems could only be solved through organized efforts within the law, and not through violence.
Cikotic said that the state of BiH must respect a large number of international conventions and the freedom and rights of migrants.
