The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković, stated that the political orientation towards the European Union must be a key criterion in the selection of the chief negotiator of BiH for negotiations with the EU.
“The chief negotiator must be pro-European. We will never support those people who advocate some new alliances, criticize European officials and challenge our European interests, no matter who proposes them,” said Konaković.
Referring to relations with the SNSD, Konaković said that the Troika is not in a coalition with the SNSD and that they do not accept any of the SNSD’s proposals.
He added that the Constitution of BiH is often interpreted selectively, ignoring the provisions that define the competences of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH in relations with the Presidency of BiH.
“From political pragmatism, I know how a scenario would end in which the Presidency would vote for any of the negotiators, and Željka Cvijanović would withdraw her veto and the RS National Assembly would challenge it. This is absolutely certain,” stated Konaković, adding that, in his opinion, the only viable solution is the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH.
He noted that this is not only a matter of foreign policy, but also of operational tasks.
Speaking about the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, Konaković said that BiH has a chance to recover the lost funds if it shows reform progress.
“A framework, global fund for the Western Balkans has been conceived, from which those who are fastest will withdraw the most funds. We are talking about a billion BAM for BiH in general, but everything depends on political will and implementation,” added Konaković.
He expressed doubts about the sincerity of the SNSD, stating that although they formally supported the Growth Plan, they do not show readiness for its implementation.
