The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina briefed the Bosnian Ministry of Security on Thursday with a note foreign minister Bisera Turkovic received from the Embassy of the Russian Federation seeking permission for 24 members of a medical team and five specialized military vehicles used for decontamination and disinfection to enter BiH territory, which, upon request by the Speaker of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, Dragan Covic, should provide assistance to the Mostar hospital.
This was announced by the Bosnian Ministry of Security, stating that it is doing so on the occasion of the new situation and various media comments due to the announcement of the entry of a military-medical convoy from the Russian Federation into BiH.
The act was marked as very urgent. Immediately after its reception, Security Minister Fahrudin Radoncic and Defense Minister Sifet Podzic held consultations. Minister Podzic also forwarded the first version of the Ministry of Defense’s opinion to Radoncic.
On the basis of the first version of the opinion of the BiH Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Security referred the act to Minister Turković and suggested that the BiH Presidency be briefed on everything.
“From Radoncic’s letter to Minister Turkovic, which we submit to the public, it is quite clear that the Ministry of Security of BiH did not interfere with the competence of the Ministry of Defense of BiH, because, after all, this is not possible by law either,” it is quoted from a statement of the Ministry of Security.
The BiH Ministry of Security has accepted the opinion of the BiH Ministry of Defense and for these reasons has not, as an authorized proponent when crossing the border, even requested an urgent session of the BiH Council of Ministers. Also, the Minister of Security did not instruct the Border Police to let the military-medical convoy at the border, but everything went under the jurisdiction of the BiH Presidency.
Minister Turkovic, as Deputy Chair of the Council of Ministers of BiH and Minister of Foreign Affairs who received the diplomatic note, could only address the BiH Presidency after receiving a response from the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Security of BiH.
“The fact that Ms. Turkovic referred to us and that both ministries rejected the option of crossing the Russian military-medical convoy across the BiH border, does not indicate any avoidance in the exercise of our responsibilities or fear, but our full respect for the institutions BiH, their clear legal competencies and responsibilities,” the BiH Ministry of Security announced.
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