There are destructive individuals who, due to personal interests, threaten the collective interest of Bosniaks, Serbs, Croats and other citizens to live in peace and a safe environment. The right to self-defense is a fundamental right of every state. Together, let us not allow irresponsible politicians to lead us into a collective tragedy, was the message delivered today in Sarajevo at a reception on the occasion of March 1, the Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A ceremonial reception on the occasion of Independence Day was held in the Sarajevo City Hall tonight, organized by members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željko Komšić and Denis Bećirović.
Speaking about Bosnia and Herzegovina’s struggle for independence, Komšić said that its own forces concentrated in and around the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, under the supreme command of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, remained the only support in the fight for the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Not only could it not be relied on international forces, but the international factor was most often on the side of the aggressor. Only after the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was formed, organized and structured into a military force capable of carrying out the most complex military operations and achieving both tactical and strategic victories, when it became clear that Bosnia and Herzegovina would not disappear, and when it became clear that the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina was an invincible factor, “only after that could we count on some form of assistance from international forces,” Komšić said.
And that is why today, as he said, “there must be no dilemma about who we can rely on in the upcoming challenges.”
“We must rely on ourselves, but also talk to everyone from the East and the West. Let us talk and cooperate with everyone if it will be beneficial to the homeland. Let us reject all those frequent and malicious objections to our attempts to cooperate or establish contacts with countries that are undoubtedly friendly towards our homeland. We do not owe anyone any justifications or explanations,” Komšić underlined.
He said that the echo of global changes is also being felt here in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Therefore, we welcome this Independence Day with an ever-increasing political presence of a foreign factor in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It must be said loud and clear that the international community and its role in BiH, as a concrete and effective mechanism, no longer exists. Let us throw it out of our political, academic and every other vocabulary, so that at least at the level of language and thought we can catch the last train with contemporary events,” said Komšić.
Komšić further warned that the reality that follows will be completely different from this post-Dayton era that BiH has survived.
“We will have to ensure the functioning of the state, systems and institutions, as we know and can do,” he underlined.
“Therefore, when I speak of relying on one’s own strength and capacities, I do not mean merely taking up arms at a crucial moment, but rather taking responsibility for one’s own country. The time has passed when, due to the malfunctioning of this or that institution, one would turn to a foreign ambassador. Until now, seeking such a nanny was ridiculous, but from now on it could be disastrous,” said Komšić.
He also said that the challenges of BiH and Europe are almost the same, and that if there is still something called the European path of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is precisely in the imperative that both Europe and Bosnia and Herzegovina must deal with themselves.
“In that sense, we should be clear that Bosnia and Herzegovina and Europe, whatever we mean when we say Europe, share the same future, and not to say and not to be fatalistic, they share the same destiny. That should be our most important foreign policy landmark in the future,” said Komšić, concluding:
“Whatever challenges await us, and it is clear that they will not be easy, I am sure that Bosnia and Herzegovina will overcome them because we passed our most difficult tests of state self-affirmation a long time ago, and showed the world who we are and what we are. This country has a reason for its existence and existence. It is a natural and social entity and not any ideological or political construct imposed by anyone. That whole, in itself, is character- and mentally specific, indivisible and indestructible, like the love of the Bosnian man for his homeland, which has lasted for centuries and will last as long as there are us.”, AA writes.
