The Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Denis Becirovic, met yesterday with the Chancellor of the Federal Republic (FR) of Germany, Olaf Scholz, as part of his official visit to Germany, after which a joint press conference was held.
“BiH is a country with a thousand-year history, a country with a long history and memory, and a country that does not forget its friends, and FR Germany was and remains one of BiH’s greatest friends,” Becirovic said.
He said that what makes him happy is the fact that year after year BiH and FR Germany have an increasingly better economic cooperation.
“In 2023, we achieved a record exchange of goods, which was higher than 6 billion BAM. We want the exchange of goods to be even better and to intensify the good cooperation between the two countries in the coming period,” he said.
He then touched on the problems in BiH, which he discussed with Scholz.
“In BiH, we have a minority of pro-Russians who threaten the constitutional order of BiH. They attack two key institutions that guarantee peace and stability – the Office of the High Representative (OHR) and the Constitutional Court of BiHestablished on the basis of the Constitution of BiH. Because of such a policy, there are sanctions against that regime by almost the entire West. Our desire is to return to the framework of Dayton and to turn to the economic progress of BiH. We must also be ready to respond to the challenges in the coming period,” said the chairman of the BiH Presidency.
He noted that this is precisely why the firm message of the largest and strongest economic power in the European Union (EU) – FR Germany and Chancellor Scholz – is important for BiH and the region.
“His message is especially important that the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of BiH are unquestionable. We also talked about the resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica. I expressed my deep respect and gratitude to Scholzand FR Germany because they preserve the truth about Srebrenica. The truth that was established by the highest United Nations (UN) courts,” said Denis Becirovic.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after the meeting that “any attempt to deny the sovereignty and territorial integrity of BiH” is unacceptable for Germany.
Scholz emphasized that Germany will continue to contribute to stability in BiH through the EUFOR Althea mission.
“Prerequisites for compliance with European laws and regulations must be created, and there are no roundabout ways to enter the EU. That path is the same for all countries. I am aware that this represents an ethical challenge, but the reform efforts will pay off for the candidate countries because it connected with great economic success and great opportunities within the EU,” said Scholz.
He stated that he had very constructive discussions with Becirovic on other issues that are important for BiH‘s accession to the EU.
“I have confirmed the support of the German Government on that path. It is necessary to strengthen further regional cooperation. This year is the 10th anniversary of the Berlin Process and it is an important instrument of regional cooperation. I hope that BiH will ratify the agreement on mobility and accept the statement on energy issues”, stated Scholz.
Scholz also touched on the Russian aggression against Ukraine, stating that it showed how important cooperation is and that something must be done to ensure peace in Europe.
“This war shows that peace is not something that can be taken for granted. I welcome that BiH stands in solidarity with Ukraine and that it has come out clearly against Russian aggression. I hope that we will be able to take joint steps in this regard. We know that the stability of the Western Balkans something that is not self-evident and that we must work on it, and BiH plays an active role. Any attempt to threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity of BiH is unacceptable. We support the important role of the high representative in supporting democracy, the rule of law, and the integrity of this country. His efforts are based on ensuring adherence to the Dayton Agreement,” Scholz said.
