The former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bisera Turković, posted on her social media that for the past month, since the system for issuing visas to foreigners broke down, she has received calls from ministers, ambassadors, and investors who want to visit.
Turković wrote that she has been receiving messages from ministers and ambassadors from various countries asking for help in obtaining visas, and that she cannot believe what is happening with the visa issuance system and the stay of foreigners in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She listed several problems that foreigners have faced.
“People bought plane tickets, paid for hotels, purchased insurance, and fulfilled all the requirements our embassies set to issue them visas. Yet, there are no visas. Time passes, trips are canceled, invested funds cannot be refunded, and no one provides an explanation or offers possible appointments. My colleague, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, called me and explained: a young married couple, her relatives, decided to go on their honeymoon to Bosnia and Herzegovina. They paid for everything, but now they cannot obtain a visa, and their plans will fall through. They cannot believe this. This is so irresponsible. A well-known journalist from the Republic of South Africa called me and asked how he could obtain a visa for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Whenever he called, he was told that visas are currently not being issued. Until when? He needs to leave,” Turković said.
“A former ministerial colleague wants to attend the commemoration in Srebrenica with his escort. Part of his escort needs a visa. He would leave early. He asked where a visa could be issued to them,” Turković said.
She also highlighted the case of a businessman who plans to invest in Bosnia and Herzegovina but cannot enter the country.
“One of the 500 richest people in the world decided to come to Bosnia and Herzegovina with his team for potential investments. They are traveling by private plane. He urgently needs a visa for the financial director traveling with him and has requested expedited visa issuance. Wherever he goes, he is welcomed with a red carpet due to the possibility of significant investments – everywhere except in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as it is the only place they cannot enter,” Turković wrote.
The former head of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s diplomacy wonders whom to approach regarding this problem faced by many foreigners wishing to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Whom should we inform? Minister Konaković? President Bećirević? What should we tell the people? How can we explain the inexplicable to them? Perhaps it would be best to send them a translated video of Minister Konaković from yesterday, in which he speaks dismissively to the long-standing member of the BiH Presidency, Bakir Izetbegović, presuming to lecture him on what diplomacy is or is not, while wandering through more or less important conferences where his impact is minimal, and his visa system remains nonfunctional after a month. Meanwhile, people are increasingly discouraged from investing in and traveling to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Is it not time for the members of the Presidency to ask themselves what is happening in the domain of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s foreign policy? Could there be greater irresponsibility, inaction, and incompetence?” Turković concluded.
