The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković, said on Wednesday in Sarajevo that BiH has the opportunity to “jump on the European train” like never before and that all its citizens feel the benefits.
Konaković spoke about the current political situation in the country, about meetings with European Union officials during his two-day visit to Strasbourg, and about the current issue of Russian diplomats in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Konaković held a series of meetings with European Union officials in Strasbourg, with whom he discussed the current situation in the country and further steps towards European integration.
“Unfortunately, we have an opportunity because of the aggression against Ukraine. The opportunity is there, the door is open. It seems to me that the political actors in BiH still do not sufficiently understand what kind of opportunity and chance BiH has in front of them,” Konaković said.
He added that the story of the enlargement of the EU is still alive, that there is talk about the membership of Ukraine, Moldova and the countries of the Western Balkans.
“We are particularly interested in the area of the Western Balkans and, aware of this, we are trying to take several important steps in terms of political stabilization, regional stability, and especially stability within BiH in the political field, because no one will block us and quarrel,” Konaković said.
He reminded that the EU has prepared a package for the Western Balkans, for the next seven years, in the amount of 14 billion euros. As he said, he received information that the EU is preparing an additional six billion euros for a period of three years, of which four billion would be intended for improving the business environment in the region, and two billion for infrastructure projects.
“Recent events from the BiH entity of the RS are worrying European officials. If it weren’t for that, everything would be much easier,” Konaković said.
He repeated that a large number of friends of Bosnia and Herzegovina are currently lobbying for the country to position itself well in the new story of support for enlargement.
“When we talk about expansion, it is integration before membership. Now we are talking about accelerated opening and access to the common European market, which would open up a lot of facilities and a lot of space for the BiH economy,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH.
He also referred to the meeting of the president of the BiH entity RS, Milorad Dodik, with representatives of the institutions of the RS, party leaders and representatives from the RS in the institutions of BiH in Banja Luka on the possible abandonment of state institutions, pointing out that this harms BiH and its path to the EU.
“I think that for a period we would all suffer together because of this policy coming from the BiH entity RS, but they would ultimately pay the highest price. One part of the political scene in Europe is thinking how to support only the Federation of BiH entity in the future, without the RS- which is a controversial topic, but if the authorities in the RS continue like this, I think they will force some serious officials on the European scene to do the same,” said Konaković.
He added that the relations between Serbia and Kosovo, as well as the formation of the Government in Montenegro, are under special EU scrutiny.
“We could also say that Bosnia and Herzegovina is the leader of European integration, because Montenegro has stopped there, and Serbia and Kosovo have problems. Instead of boasting about it and decorating it, I had to explain part of the conversation what is happening here, which is why the high representative, which is completely legal, is again subject to denial,” Konaković said.
He also announced that the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Layen, could visit the Western Balkan region in October and present a new support package on that occasion.
Regarding the stay of two Russian diplomats Anton Sokolov and Ilija Serov in Bosnia and Herzegovina, who were previously expelled from Croatia and North Macedonia, Konaković said that their request for residence was approved during the mandate of the previous government and that they were then issued ID cards.
Analyzing this problem, he discovered, as he said, worse problems, which will be the subject of their professional activities,
“I will use and will use all the mechanisms I have as the Minister of Foreign Affairs against every diplomat, Russian or anyone else, who came to BiH to spy, undermine and work against the interests of the state of BiH. I have no information. That should be done by the security agencies. We are waiting for them to tell us they say. I cannot emotionally, if I don’t like someone, write that someone is ‘persona non grata’. I will seriously do my part and respect the laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Konaković.
In the end, he said that he welcomes the decision of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina to prosecute the president of the BiH entity RS Milorad Dodik and his coalition partner because, as he said, he “attacked the Constitution of BiH”.
“We will continue to persist in protecting the institutions of BiH, but how will you make any progress in a country of consensus. That is why High Representative Christian Schmidt is here,” Konaković said, AA reports.
