The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina expressed his regret that BiH diplomacy played with BiH and, as he says, left a pale image wherever he went.
Konaković said today at the press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Bosnia and Herzegovina had a lot of missed opportunities.
“Where Bosnia and Herzegovina was discussed, we were not there. People are surprised that there is a ministry and a coalition that goes about its business in a normal way,” he pointed out.
He expressed satisfaction that he is managing to improve the image of Bosnia and Herzegovina and said that in eight days they had meetings with the US secretary, the head of German diplomacy, officials from Great Britain and Saudi Arabia.
He assessed that one of the most dynamic periods in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since its existence is currently underway, but that it is very important that the process is two-way.
He pointed out that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a place where the highest officials of friendly and important countries meet.
Among other things, he referred to the meeting with the Minister of Trade of the United Arab Emirates, which took place after the official visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of that country.
Konaković pointed out that this visit followed 14 years of non-existence of the level of relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Emirates, which caused great damage.
He added that at the meeting they ensured contact with the real sector of BiH, and that they presented several projects.
He also emphasized the importance of his visit to Belgium, where the opening of the Belgian embassy in BiH was announced, as well as his visit to the Globsec conference in Bratislava.
He explained that at that conference the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, sent messages confirming the acceptance of new EU relations with the countries of the Western Balkans.
“We asked for understanding from the EU for this difficult and long-term process of reforms that are important for BiH in the long term. But we need a different approach. That message from Bratislava is the result of our lobbying and it is a success of diplomacy,” he said.
He also recalled his visit to Great Britain, as well as to Germany, which is a key economic partner of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He also mentioned an official visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the “Fighting ISIL” conference, where he had lunch with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
He claims that Blinken is very knowledgeable about the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and that he is impressed by his detailed knowledge of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“We talked a lot about BiH on very important topics and we heard encouraging messages of support for BiH. Very soon we will head to the USA, as well as to the session of the General Assembly,” he said.
Konaković also pointed out that next week he will officially launch an initiative to cancel visas for tourists from Saudi Arabia, at least partially.
