Edhem Bičakčić, the former Federal Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, spoke to Mreža about the southern and eastern interconnections, the benefits, and the potential consequences of the planned concession. He also discussed Energoinvest and Nova Željezara, as well as the “personal ties and public office” of the former Federal Prime Minister and the former Federal Minister of Finance. Furthermore, he commented on the Bosniak schism and the elections for the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Southern Interconnection
At the very beginning, Bičakčić explained the advantages of the Southern Interconnection, emphasizing the dual gas supply and the security of planning gas production facilities.
“This time, the gas infrastructure encompasses almost the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a tendency to expand into the other entity in the future. That is the fundamental advantage,” he added.
The interest of the US in being present in this region, so to speak, is of a geopolitical and financial nature.
“No one invests if it isn’t profitable. Therefore, within that 30-year period, which is the minimum concession period for this type of use, it must be possible to allow for a return on investment,” said Bičakčić, explaining that a 30-year period is the minimum concession agreement for this type of investment.
Candidates for the Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Speaking about the candidates for the Bosniak member of the Presidency of BiH, Bičakčić said that the elections would be an “interesting match.” He believes that the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) will have its candidate and that it is “unusual for them to back down.”
“I believe SDA will have a candidate. After all, the SBB party has also announced—if Izetbegović runs, (Fahrudin) Radončić will also run,” he stated.
Furthermore, Bičakčić highlighted the connection and shared ideology of the parties that are now divided, emphasizing that “we haven’t learned the lesson from President Alija.”
“Meaning, to form those pre-election coalitions. This time, there were no serious talks; not even coffee is being shared. Strategies and opinions are not being exchanged, except for formal calls to the ‘pro-Bosnian block’ and the like. But in any case, the political situation is fragmented and splintered. We need to integrate that situation, and that will happen in the future.”
Easing of Bosniak-Croat Tensions
Friendly and healthy relations with Dragan Čović are still present today, Bičakčić states, emphasizing that work is needed on today’s Bosniak-Croat relations.
“We need to work on the relaxation of Bosniak-Croat relations. There is a lot of room for that relaxation because there were periods of intensive cooperation with the HDZ regarding, for example, the referendum and the referendum question—thanks to which we achieved the fantastic result of 64%. Later, there was joint work in the creation of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
Nova Željezara Zenica and Energoinvest
“Shutting down integral production is a debacle,” said Bičakčić.
“The British investor, Mittal Group, was not up to the task and withdrew very quickly. The Federal Government should have purchased it from Mittal when they were already leaving, and attempted—together with Energoinvest, which still holds a significant international reputation—to secure a new foreign investor through Germany or Turkey to restart the integral process. That is a necessity for Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he explained.
He stated that if he were currently the Federal Prime Minister, he would not “run away from Chinese investors.”
“They are mainly interested in those large projects and have a successful business operation at the Smederevo Steel Mill,” Bičakčić said, adding that “Energoinvest, as a partner in all of this, could provide strong support.”
