The United States Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina claims, on the occasion of the session of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced for today, that legislators today have a clear choice, to support the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and their future prosperity or to vote for Russia and its interests.
They claim that this project will strengthen regional energy security in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the Western Balkans, by ending BiH’s complete dependence on Russian gas, which exposes the country and its citizens to political and economic blackmail.
“When representatives of the FBiH Parliament attend today’s session, they must make a key decision that affects not only the current, but also all future generations in BiH,” concluded the US Embassy on the X platform.
They emphasize that the law will also provide access to a reliable source of energy that will create jobs, help grow businesses and generate prosperity for the entire Federation of BiH, but especially for communities in Herzegovina.
The US Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina said it has received numerous inquiries regarding outrageous claims made in a recent report on US policy regarding the Southern Interconnection.
The United States and the Embassy have been working diligently to end BiH’s total dependence on Russian gas for many years. There is nothing last-ditch about it. In early 2020, American experts began working with officials from the previous Federation of BiH (FBiH) government as well as others in the international community to draft framework legislation that would allow the SIC to move forward. This work has always involved Croats, including individuals from HDZ BiH, and considered Croat interests. From the beginning the legislation provided for BH Gas, the sole gas Transmission System Operator (TSO) in the FBiH, to serve as the project investor. In fact, HDZ BiH members of the FBiH government and the FBiH parliament supported the law – in parliament they voted in favor of it on three separate occasions. Therefore, claims that the legislation failed to consider Croat interests lack any credibility.”
“The United States has been a strong supporter of all BiH’s constituent peoples and its citizens for more than 30 years, and this has been consistently reflected in the work of the Embassy, including over the last four years. Indeed, we have been criticized for our support for the protections provided to the constituent peoples within the Dayton Peace Agreement and for our support of the implementation of the BiH Constitutional Court’s Ljubic decision. We have opposed destructive ethnonationalism from political leaders whether they are Bosniak, Croat, or Serb, and we have opposed corrupt ethnonationalist patronage networks whose actions threaten the democratic and economic future of BiH citizens whether those citizens live in Banja Luka, Mostar, or Sarajevo.”
It was further added that in this instance, Mr. Covic has conspicuously rejected opportunities to advance the SIC at every turn, which has only prolonged BiH’s dependence on Russia. If there is a single individual responsible for maintaining Russia’s energy dominance in BiH, it is Mr. Covic. Tomorrow, FBiH parliamentarians have an opportunity to change that while bringing economic benefits to FBiH residents, including Croats. The question for them and others is, will they support BiH citizens and their future prosperity or vote for Russia and its interests?
