The Prime Minister of Serbia, on a technical mandate, said he will travel to Banja Luka after learning on Monday, September 14, that he was banned from flying over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Đuro Macut said that the situation won’t prevent him from attending the commemoration of the Day of Serb Unity, Freedom, and the National Flag.
“If I couldn’t go by plane, I will go by car. It is important for me to be with our people, and to celebrate together the Day of Serb Unity, Freedom and National Flag with dignity and in peace,” Macut said in a written statement to Tanjug.
The Prime Minister of Serbia said that such moves, according to him, further distance the countries of the region from good-neighborly relations.
“Moves like these are what set us back in the region,” Macut said, emphasizing that Serbia will not respond by raising tensions.
On the other hand, Serbia (or Macut, ed.) does not need to raise tensions, as the rules are clear. Bosnia and Herzegovina is not to be played with, and our country’s laws must be respected.
The Procedure for the overflight of the plane, which should bring the Prime Minister of Serbia, Đuro Macut, to Bosnia and Herzegovina on September 14, was not followed, since the request for flight approval was delivered to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina only after the scheduled departure time, as confirmed by the portal Radiosarajevo.ba.
The Embassy of Serbia in Bosnia and Herzegovina delivered the request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina at 3:05 PM. At the same time, the document states that Macut should take off from Belgrade at 3:00 PM, while his landing in Bosnia and Herzegovina was planned for 3:30 PM.
Therefore, the request came in after the scheduled time when the plane was supposed to be in the air.
The Rules Require Advance Notice
According to the procedures applicable to such cases, the request for approval to fly over the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina should be delivered at least 72 hours in advance.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina could not act on the request as if it had been submitted under regular procedures.
The head of diplomacy of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković, confirmed that the request of the Embassy of Serbia arrived at 3:05 PM.
“First, he was supposed to take off, and only five minutes later did we receive a request. They must respect the protocol. This is not a game,” said Elmedin Konaković for the portal Radiosarajevo.ba, stating that rules on earlier submissions of requests had previously been clearly communicated to all interested parties.
Konaković said that the request will be considered within a legally prescribed timeframe and emphasized that Serbia must respect the procedures and laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina emphasized that it is not about a political decision, but about the implementation of the prescribed procedure.
