Elmedin Konakovic, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), stated on July 8th that Serbia is not acting with good intentions towards BiH.
“Serbia is not a good neighbor to BiH, deeply encroaching on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of BiH, especially in recent months when (Serbian President Aleksandar) Vucic has not hidden his true ambitions, and for that reason, caution is needed,” Konakovic said.
Konakovic’s statement came after cadets and officers from the Military Academy in Belgrade marched through several towns in BiH over the past weekend at the invitation of the government of the Republika Srpska (RS) entity.
Besides Kozara, where the anniversary of a 1942 battle during World War II was commemorated, Serbian army cadets also paraded through nearby Prijedor, a town where more than 3.100 non-Serbs were killed during the recent war, and over 35.000 passed through the camps of Trnopolje, Keraterm, and Omarska.
Konakovic mentioned that his ministry received a notice about the arrival of a delegation from Serbia to commemorate the battle anniversary at Kozara and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH acted within its authority.
The announcement of the Serbian delegation’s arrival, said Konakovic on July 8th, was forwarded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH to three addresses: the Border Police, the Ministry of Security, specifically the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies, and the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH.
He added that the Border Police of BiH, in its further actions, has the possibility, if it assesses that there is anything suspicious in the announcement, to additionally check individuals coming into the country, possibly deny entry, and then communicate with the Intelligence-Security Agency of BiH to request further checks on individuals or the entire group.
He noted that “it is clear they did not deem additional checks necessary.”
He clarified that the dispatch indicated the arrival of cadets – both police and military, representatives from the Ministry of Labor and Veterans Affairs of the Serbian government, and representatives of the Serbian Army.
He added that the dispatch stated they would arrive unarmed and in ceremonial uniforms to parade in honor of the battle anniversary at Kozara, RSE writes.
E.Dz.
