Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elmedin Konaković, assessed that the visit of member of Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Željka Cvijanović to the United States was beneficial for the country. He emphasized that the visit should be evaluated based on official statements from U.S. officials after the meetings, rather than PR announcements from Milorad Dodik.
Focus on Conclusions, Not PR
“The most important meeting she had was with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, which had substantive topics and concrete conclusions. It’s not about who you take photos with, but what conclusions are reached. The State Department’s statement after the meeting, which spoke of strengthening relations between the U.S. and Bosnia and Herzegovina, primarily in the economic sphere and prioritizing the development of the Southern Interconnection, reflects the U.S. position on that meeting. There were no discussions of secession, contrary to what they had announced, or topics like alleged Muslim dominance over Christians in Bosnia and Herzegovina, issues Dodik has been pushing for years. Clearly, those topics could not even be considered with such serious interlocutors. The conclusion is that Cvijanović and her team finally did something good for Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Konaković stressed.
He further noted that no entity-specific markers were present during the U.S. meetings, and that Cvijanović, as a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, reaffirmed good relations between U.S. and Bosnia and Herzegovina, unintentionally downplaying the issues Dodik attempted to impose.
“Meetings with congressmen and senators were also important. Interestingly, none of them posted photos on social media with Cvijanović and her delegation. Dodik, however, appeared at a few meetings as part of Cvijanović’s entourage and acting President of Republika Srpska Ana Trišić-Babić, and with the help of lobbyists, he managed to achieve something personally significant: from a sanctioned individual to being able to visit the White House or State Department. Yet today we can conclude that he did not harm Bosnia and Herzegovina or strengthen Republika Srpska. On the contrary, they confirmed what we have been working on institutionally for years, good relations between the U.S.and Bosnia and Herzegovina and economic cooperation. Cvijanović even praised the Southern Interconnection at a panel and called for U.S. investments in Republika Srpska. It will be interesting to see Russia’s reaction, since Russia was not mentioned at all,” Konaković added.
U.S. Interests and Support for the Southern Interconnection
According to him, it is important that in the battle for energy dominance in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, Republika Srpska authorities and Cvijanović sided with the United States, which he described as “a major and positive development.” They joined all those in Bosnia and Herzegovina who have been working on this for years.
Dodik as Part of the Delegation
Konaković also commented on Milorad Dodik’s presence in the delegation.
“What Dodik wanted for his PR, to show political presence just days before renewed elections in Republika Srpska, he achieved. However, the fact is that he cannot go there alone, but he can only appear as an accessory in the delegation of state institutions. Yet, seeing the photos from meetings with congressmen and senators, as well as the presence at the Prayer Breakfast with a dozen other officials from Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is certainly good PR for Dodik. He needs it to impress his followers and certain media on the pro-Bosnia and Herzegovina side. I know politicians on our side who hope for the continuation of his and SNSD’s power. So, a man completely isolated in the EU managed to reach Washington, which is his personal success, but the most important point is that Republika Srpska did not advance against the state interests of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On the contrary, Dodik, by fighting for himself, his status, and PR, inadvertently helped Bosnia and Herzegovina. Not a single word about secession was heard, nothing of what he had previously announced, and the photos will serve him in Republika Srpska election campaigns to portray himself as influential,” Konaković said.
Lobbying and Republika Srpska Budget Issues
Commenting on Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Save Minić’s statement that Republika Srpska authorities successfully spent 1.3 million KM on lobbying in the U.S., while Konaković allegedly lobbies through an air-conditioning company, the Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina stated that Minić is misinformed. He called on relevant institutions to verify whether Republika Srpska authorities committed criminal offenses by using budget funds for matters outside the entity’s constitutional competence, namely foreign policy.
“Regarding lobbying for Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is not any air-conditioning company, as they repeatedly claim, but a very reputable lobbying firm funded by an association registered by our people in the U.S. The results are already visible, but time will show whether tens of millions from the Republika Srpska budget were spent just for Dodik to take photos in corridors, or whether it changed U.S. relations towards Bosnia and Herzegovina. I affirm, because I have weekly contacts with the State Department, that things are changing, but in an even better direction for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Naturally, opposition politicians try to minimize the dozens of meetings Denis Bećirović and I had with U.S. representatives, my six trips to the U.S. last year, and at least the same this year, alongside the single trip made by Cvijanović, Trišić-Babić, and Dodik. Everyone will soon see whether U.S. policy towards Bosnia and Herzegovina is changing. I know it is changing for the better, and the Southern Interconnection is not just a pipeline for gas, but a conduit that strengthens and elevates relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the administration of President Donald Trump,” concluded Minister Konaković.
