The member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, again refused at today’s session of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina to give an agrement to the German ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Thomas Fitschen.
Chairman and member of the BiH Presidency, Šefik Džaferović and Željko Komšić, supported the granting of the agrement.
This is Dodik’s second refusal to the German ambassador after he already did so on August 24, and as an explanation he stated that Germany is pursuing a bad policy towards the Bosnian entity Republika Srpska.
The refusal to grant the agrement to the new German ambassador Thomas Fitschen is not the position of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the personal position of a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Šefik Džaferović said in a statement to Fena news agency.
BiH Presidency member Željko Komšić and Džaferović voted in favor of awarding the agreement, and Džaferović stated that Germany is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s greatest friends.
“Dodik’s decision is unreasonable and harmful for everyone, especially for the entity from which it comes. This is another signal to the European Union that Dodik does not want dialogue, but persistently causes tensions and wants to dictate to everyone, and even one Germany,” he says.
Everyone in the world, even the biggest powers, has respect for Germany, only Dodik has such a “mental ability” to insult Germany, adds Džaferović, calling on “his people” to ask themselves where he is leading them.
“Today, he again tried to put some items on the agenda, in order to allegedly prove that the Presidency does not allow the RS entity to develop economically. It is very easy to prove that this is not true,” explains Džaferović.
In this mandate, when Dodik voted against all decisions, even against development projects in the RS entity, Komšić and Džaferović voted for them.
When he voted against millions of dollars for the construction of water supply or equipping hospitals in BiH entity Republika Srpska, the other two members of the Presidency voted for those decisions.
“Regarding the Open Balkans, he claims that economic barriers should be removed. I invite him to first remove the economic barriers between the two entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is an obligation according to the Constitution. If he wants the economic development of the RS, let him do it first, and we will also work on the regional market through the Berlin process,” adds Džaferović.
He believes that all reasonable people could see from today’s session how much Dodik wants development because his wrong decisions led to the suspension of European Union funds for the highway in the RS entity, and now he wants German companies to leave that entity and workers to lose their jobs.
When asked how he comments on the insults that Dodik made against him, Džaferović says that Dodik did not manage in the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“He questions my ability. We have seen how capable he is in the past four years. Let him frame the ANP we adopted and hang it on the wall where it will be in the coming period. He came to the Presidency arrogantly, convinced that he would impose his will. Convinced that he will overthrow the institutions. He leaves in a completely different mood, powerless, politically defeated and frustrated,” says Džaferović.
He repeated that the BiH Presidency is a body that should function on the basis of agreements and compromises, but Dodik is not such a person and does not have the necessary balance.
“He works according to a principle – either it will be according to his, or it won’t be at all. It is good that he is leaving the Presidency. With his departure, the RS will also get a chance to realize as many development projects as possible, in a reasonable way, with respect for the Constitution and the law,” Džaferović concluded.