On the occasion of the accession of Croatia to the EU, in his article in the Financial Times Vice-President of the USA Joseph Biden said that the people in BiH “deserve better”.
He praised the efforts of officials from Zagreb for their part in the accession of Croatia to the EU, according to today’s Dnevni Avaz.
“The success of Croatia was far from being inevitable. In essence, it is a testimony to the courage of its citizens and leaders who have overcome the challenges of ultra-nationalism and anger’’, wrote Biden.
He stressed that the enlargement of the EU offers an opportunity for its neighbors. For this to take effect on the further European path, some of them “have to make difficult choices that will lay out their own path in Europe’’.
Biden wrote that in the last few months there were several meetings with leaders from the Balkans.
“Serbia and Kosovo were trapped in a deep and bitter battle all until now. Through dialogue, cooperation and painful compromises, Prime Ministers Ivica Dačić and Hašim Tači reached a historic agreement on the normalization of relations. The next steps will not be simple, but these leaders gave their citizens an unmatched opportunity’’, wrote Biden.
He said that there are still ‘’some who are stuck on ethnic lamentations, personal conflicts and an approach that does not bring any progress and hampers the process’’.
“I was in Sarajevo four years ago. I told politicians and officials in Parliament that the doors were open and for BiH to become an integral part of Europe and that the US wishes to help in that. In order for this to happen, an agreement is necessary that would eliminate discrimination of minorities from the BiH Constitution and a decision on the implementation of military property. None of that has happened. The people of BiH deserve better’’, said Biden.
