The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković, assessed that today during the visit of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, encouraging and optimistic messages could be heard in Sarajevo, but that “we still have some obligations that we should fulfill”.
Speaking for Fena news agency before leaving for Berlin, where tomorrow he will participate in the work of the ministerial conference entitled: “A bigger, stronger European Union makes the EU ready for enlargement, and future members ready for accession”, he pointed out that this was Von der Leyen’s third visit BiH in the last few years, which shows interest in BiH and its European perspective.
“It is much easier to talk to politicians when we know that on the other side there are concrete plans of the European Union, which may have existed before, but it seems to me that they are now more concrete than ever and that in terms of supporting our economy, there really is a huge space opening up in in terms of means and funds,” says Konaković.
However, the most interesting part for him is the one that talks about access to the single market and opening space for BiH. companies, but also for potential investors who, in the event of such a relaxation of the administration, would certainly choose Bosnia and Herzegovina as a desirable destination.
“So, it’s great that today we had Ursula von der Leyen in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and especially that we heard some messages that we can certainly call optimistic, and underline the line “it’s up to us”. If the politicians are mature, if they are brave, if they put the interests of the citizens of BiH first, we could make the biggest step forward in the history of this country,” he believes.
Asked whose interests the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina are in, and whose they are not, Konaković says that it will be seen very soon.
“We will see it very quickly, easily prove it and point the finger at those who are not in the interest of the citizens, those who will invent reasons why we should not adopt the documents requested of us, laws and other regulations at an accelerated pace, when we have a very specific offer on the table and tangible and which guarantees people an increase in wages and an improvement in living conditions. It will be very difficult for those who obstruct such a path. We have reached that stage when that picture is becoming clearer. Challenges and tests are ahead for all political actors,” he said.
The opening of negotiations on the accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European Union will be decided by all EU member states, not individual officials. Konaković says that it is very encouraging that some members have already advocated openly, and some have even written a letter on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina about the opening of negotiations.
“I know that there are still many friends of Bosnia and Herzegovina who will openly lobby for it, and of course Ursula von der Leyen’s opinion will be very important in this whole process. That is why it is not bad that she came here today, to see for herself what we were saying and to exchange adequate information with political actors,” he said.
Konaković states that he does not know whether Bosnia and Herzegovina is closer to opening negotiations after her visit, but he will discuss it tomorrow with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno, and there will also be some other officials, “how would additionally explain that the opening of negotiations at this moment would be a wind at the back of the pro-European parties and a small splash for those who are not very pro-European oriented”.
