German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful stated today in the Bundestag that the German government believes in the European future of Bosnia and Herzegovina and that it will continue to “invest” in the country’s progress, the media reported.
In his opening speech in the Bundestag, where a debate was held to mark the thirty years since the signing of the Dayton Agreement, Wadeful assessed that the Dayton Agreement, despite being more focused on the end of the war than on a functional state, is now a guarantee of stability.
“In November, I visited the countries of the Western Balkans. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, I met with Christian Schmidt, who is now the High Representative in BiH. His work is of great importance for BiH, I thank him and I guarantee our government’s support for his work. Protecting Dayton is essential,” he stressed.
He recalled that a hundred thousand people were killed in the war in BiH, that genocide occurred in Srebrenica, because, as he assessed, “the international community failed”.
“We are also aware of this responsibility. Thirty years ago, Dayton stopped this suffering. It is a historic moment. It brought thirty years of stability, but it has not managed to heal the wounds or establish reconciliation,” said the German Foreign Minister.
He also assessed that the result of the Dayton Agreement is “concrete ethnic”, adding that politicians in BiH, who “sing nationalist songs” and for whom “the division of society is more important, behind which they hide their personal interests”, also play a role.
“We often see agitation from actors outside BiH, who are fueling this and want division into zones”, emphasized German Minister Wadeful, adding that “the danger also lurks from Russia, which is again threatening Europe like never before since World War II”.
He assessed that Dayton is “just the beginning of the process that should bring BiH into the EU”.
“Action by domestic actors is needed, we want to invest in it, because we are convinced that, thirty years after the war and Srebrenica and in times of new crises, this is an investment. Not only in BiH, but in the entire Western Balkans, but also for us Europeans and Germans. It is an investment in our security,” concluded Wadephul.
