The newly elected chairperson of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željka Cvijanović, addressed the public today at the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the first time today after assuming that position, stressing that it is of crucial importance for Bosnia and Herzegovina to consistently respect the Dayton Peace Agreement and the constitutional structure of the state.
Cvijanović pointed out that she comes to this position with open arms and good intentions because she wants the members of the BiH Presidency to work together, in accordance with their constitutional competencies, for the benefit of both entities and all peoples in BiH, as well as all other citizens.
She emphasized the need for dialogue on all open issues that burden everyday life, expressing her belief that, in these globally complex circumstances, everyone will contribute to the search for solutions to existing problems.
Cvijanović is of the opinion that everyone in Bosnia and Herzegovina is politically mature enough to determine their own priorities, and not to impose solutions on others, which is why she wants everyone to be the subjects of decision-making, and not “recipients of interventions”.
“We live in a country that belongs equally to all of us and in which we, elected by the people, are accountable to the people for what we have done or not done. Because if we want to be respected by others, then we must first respect ourselves more,” said Cvijanović.
She added that it is no news to anyone that there are many things in BiH on which its political representatives do not agree, but she emphasized that the measure of success will be to find the “lowest common denominator and to direct forces towards those goals that are equally important for all”.
Cvijanović also referred to BiH’s relations with the countries of the region and underlined that they need to be improved and bridges of cooperation should be built within BiH and with the countries of the region, primarily with Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro, with which BiH shares a border, but also with North Macedonia, Slovenia and other countries.
She added that she believes that internal dialogue can help BiH independently overcome problems on the internal and external level, which is why, as a member of the Presidency of BiH, she is ready to contribute to the construction of such a dialogue.
