The security of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is burdened by migrations and the coronavirus pandemic, but there is a whole set of other security threats that represent a bigger problem for BiH in the long run, said the Minister of Security of BiH, Selmo Cikotic.
However, he thinks that the security of BiH is at the level of security of the countries in our region, and in certain segments, he believes that BiH may be more stable than some of them, but in certain segments, there are more serious risks, challenges and threats, Klix.ba news portal reports.
When speaking about the biggest threats to the security system of BiH, the Minister says that there are certain political concepts that challenge the functionality of the state and its institutions in BiH, as well as international subjectivity, the need to harmonize interethnic relations, and caring for only one ethnic group, which leads to instability that demotivates young people in BiH.
That is the reason, as he believes, that young people, the most educated and the most productive, leave BiH, and their departure for Cikotic is the biggest security threat for BiH.
Among other threats, he identified organized crime and corruption, illegal human trafficking, weapon and narcotics trafficking, and other threats that disrupt stability and security in the long run.
He agrees with the fact that the primary focus should be continued on controlling the movement of migrants at this point, although he emphasizes that this cannot be seen as a crisis, because if that were the case, it would be necessary to engage all state structures. Currently, his opinion is that as a result of dysfunction, the distribution of responsibility in resolving the migrant crisis is not even close to being distributed equally.
“This crisis is practically being endured by two cantons, part of the federal institutions and part of the state structures. To a certain extent, the Ministry of the Internal Affairs of the Republika Srpska (RS) and the transport companies of the RS are also participating, but it should be discussed how much it represents a real contribution, “Cikotic said.
After Cikotic became Minister, he visited Una-Sana Canton, which is one of the two most affected cantons by the migrant crisis. Talking to representatives of institutions, employees and management of assessment centers, he got the impression that the camps are relatively well run, but the problem is the fact that not all migrants register in these camps, so the stay of people outside the camps is a serious problem.
“The intention is to respect all human rights while dealing with the crisis, but we must not forget that the rights and freedoms of our citizens are ahead of rights and freedom of migrants for all state institutions. The protection and freedom of migrants cannot jeopardize rights and the freedom of our people,” Cikotic said.
