Reactions to the decision of the US State Department to warn international companies that plan to invest or start a business in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to carry out a rigorous legal check before investing, are not abating. In part of this document, which was published by the American embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina on its account on the X network, it is pointed out that these tips are particularly related to the Republika Srpska where its authorities, as they say, are trying to take control of state property. The reactions of the authorities in that entity are also fierce.
According to the document of the State Department “Analysis of the situation for investments in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the year 2024”, which was published by the American Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, potential investors are warned that they could face sanctions if they are part of illegal and unconstitutional arrangements with the authorities in To the Republic, it is stated in the announcement on the X platform.
“This is especially important in Republika Srpska where secessionist activities of leaders, efforts to unconstitutionally take control of state assets and non-implementation of decisions by the High Representative create legal risks that further complicate the business environment. Potential investors should seek legal advice to inform themselves about the impact of decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina from July 2024, which ruled in two cases that entities are not competent to dispose of state property in any way, including transfer of ownership, lease, concession or temporary use,” the US Embassy stated.
The highest representatives of the authorities in the Republika Srpska assessed this announcement as gross interference in the internal affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. BiH Presidency member Željka Cvijanović believes that American Ambassador Michael Murphy, as well as other ambassadors in our country, should function in accordance with the norms of diplomacy and international law, which is often not the case in BiH.
“I especially have a complaint when I see that ambassadors take on the role of leading the campaign instead of the opposition, and this often happens, recognizing that the opposition is weak, that it is not capable of doing the work that is either their desired goal or someone from the side, and then they take over that role,” says Cvijanović.
“I have to disappoint all those who are looking forward to the financial collapse of the RS, you won’t see it, you won’t experience it. I’m sorry for that, so don’t fall for the US ambassador’s tricks and those stories of theirs. I could ask them many questions, they have bigger problems “Don’t worry about others, worry about yourself,” says Republika Srpska Prime Minister Radovan Višković.
Prime Minister Višković reminded that the pressure, economic and financial exhaustion of the Republika Srpska has been intensified in the last year by the imposition of sanctions on individuals and companies, but that the Republika Srpska regularly pays its obligations, even though misinformation about bankruptcy is spreading. Economist Zoran Povlaović thinks differently.
“It is obvious that we will have to get into a situation, I mean the Government of the RS, to negotiate with the Americans, because this situation and these pressures result in the absence of securing the money that is needed to service all obligations and that is provided for in the guarantee and debt plan year, and that is long-term borrowing through bonds of 840 million marks,” believes Pavlović.
The Minister of Finance in the Government, Zora Vidović, said recently that the economic environment of the Republika Srpska is the most favorable in the region, and stated that the proof of this is the businessmen who invest in the Republika Srpska from Europe, BHRT writes.
