Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Montenegro are at a crossroads: one path leads to the democratic world of the West, while the other is shaped by nationalist forces within and beyond their borders. This is a conflict between democracy and progress on the one hand and ethnic and clerical nationalism that leads to discord on the other, participants of the conference “Relations Between BiH and Montenegro – Open Issues and Perspectives” held at the Sarajevo City Hall have stated.
They emphasized that the European Union (EU) has opened the door to accession negotiations for these countries but stressed that the responsibility to meet the required conditions lies with them.
“We will cross this threshold more easily and quickly if we stand together. The stability of the Western Balkans is a guarantee of Europe’s stability,” was the message from the conference participants.
The adopted conclusions highlight that regional cooperation and the networking of all civil society actors in the region are essential for the development and improvement of interstate relations between Montenegro and BiH. The participants expressed their determination to preserve the multi-ethnic nature of their societies, the equality of all citizens and nations, and respect for their religions and worldviews.
They insist on deeper and stronger comprehensive economic and political connections between BiH and Montenegro as a prerequisite for strengthening the capacities of civic societies and the substantive Europeanization of the region. Cooperation in infrastructure development, they believe, is particularly important.
The conference participants emphasized their commitment to fostering comprehensive connections aimed at creating shared, pluralistic, and creative cultural policies that respect the cultural identities and specificities of each nation. They condemned the chauvinistic and clerical-nationalist denial of Montenegrin culture and nationhood, the unpunished desecration of Montenegro’s national and state symbols, and the discrimination against Montenegrins, speakers of the Montenegrin language, and adherents and believers of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church. They also condemned and rejected the adopted declaration of the so-called “Serbian World” and all other hegemonistic, mono-national projects.
They called on political actors in Montenegro and BiH to “utilize all institutional capacities to meet the criteria for Euro-Atlantic integration and to clearly and decisively distance themselves from all policies that obstruct the Euro-Atlantic path, as well as from those that block the functioning of state institutions in BiH.” They also deemed it necessary to embrace the Berlin Process as a genuine and secure path to the Europeanization of the Western Balkans, to participate in defining its recommendations, and to fully contribute to their implementation at the state level.
The participants strongly supported the decisions of Montenegrin state authorities to recognize the rulings of United Nations (UN) courts, particularly those on the crime of genocide against Bosniaks and other war crimes committed in BiH during the past war.
They called on the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in BiH to bring into focus the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Resolution No. 1513 from 2006 and the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the context of necessary constitutional changes in BiH.
They stated that BiH, as a sovereign and independent state and a UN member, requires a constitution based on European democratic principles.
The conference recommended that EU institutions “continue providing robust institutional support in the accession processes of all Western Balkan states to the EU, to insist, through the Berlin Process and other regional cooperation mechanisms under EU auspices, on further steps in confronting the past to achieve full normalization of relations among states, and to prioritize regional economic cooperation. Additionally, they recommended allocating part of the financial support package for the Western Balkans toward designing and implementing policies that will contribute to the restoration of a unified cultural space and a shared cultural identity while respecting the distinctiveness of each of our peoples,” the organizers stated.
The conference Relations Between BiH and Montenegro – Open Issues and Perspectives” was organized by the Council of the Congress of Bosniak Intellectuals of BiH, the Croatian National Council of BiH, the Serbian Civic Council of BiH, the Forum of Parliamentarians of BiH 1990, Jewish cultural, educational and humanitarian society “La Benevolucija”, the Center for the Promotion of Civil Society, the “Pravda” (Justice) Foundation for BiH, and representatives of civil society from Montenegro.
