Bosnia and Herzegovina Foreign Minister Elmedin Konaković said in Sarajevo on Wednesday that Bosnia and Herzegovina has the opportunity to “jump on the European train” like never before and that all its citizens will feel the benefits.
Konaković spoke about the current political situation in the country, meetings with European Union officials during his two-day visit to Strasbourg and the current issue of Russian diplomats in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Konaković held a series of meetings with European Union officials in Strasbourg, with whom he discussed the current situation in the country and the next steps towards European integration.
“Unfortunately, the aggression against Ukraine presents us with an opportunity. The opportunity is there, the door is open. It seems to me that political actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina do not yet understand sufficiently what opportunities and chances Bosnia and Herzegovina have,” Konaković said.
He added that the story of EU enlargement is still relevant and there is talk of the accession of Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkan countries.
“We are particularly interested in the Western Balkans region and, aware of this, we are trying to take several important steps in terms of political stabilization, regional stability and especially stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the political field, because no one will block us and argue,” Konaković said.
He recalled that the EU has prepared a package for the Western Balkans, for the next seven years, amounting to 14 billion euros. As he said, he received information that the EU was preparing an additional six billion euros for a period of three years, of which four billion would be aimed at improving the business environment in the region and two billion for infrastructure projects.
“Recent events in the RS entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina are worrying European officials. Without it, everything would be much easier,” Konaković said.
He reiterated that a large number of friends of Bosnia and Herzegovina are currently pushing for the country to position itself well in the new story of support for enlargement.
“When we talk about expansion, it’s integration before accession. We are now talking about accelerated opening and access to the European common market, which would open up many facilities and a lot of space for the economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia -Herzegovina.
He also mentioned the meeting of the President of the entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, with representatives of the RS institutions, party leaders and representatives of the RS in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Banja Luka on the possible abandonment of state institutions. emphasizing that this harms BiH and its path to the EU.
“I think that for a while we would all suffer together because of this policy on the part of the RS entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but ultimately they would pay the highest price. Part of the European political scene is thinking about how to support only the entity of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the future, without the RS – which is a controversial topic, but if the RS authorities continue like this, I think they will force some serious leaders on the European scene to do the same,” Konaković said.
He added that relations between Serbia and Kosovo, as well as the formation of the government in Montenegro, are subject to special monitoring by the EU.
“One could also say that Bosnia and Herzegovina is the leader of European integration, because Montenegro stopped there and Serbia and Kosovo have problems. Instead of bragging about it and decorating it, I had to explain part of the conversation about what is happening here, which is why the high representative, who is completely legal, is once again subject to denial “, said Konaković.
He also announced that the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Layen, could visit the Western Balkans region in October and present a new support program on that occasion.
Regarding the stay in Bosnia and Herzegovina of the two Russian diplomats Anton Sokolov and Ilija Serov, previously expelled from Croatia and North Macedonia, Konaković said that their request for stay was approved during the mandate of the previous government and that they were then received an identity document. cards.
Analyzing this problem, he discovered, as he said, even more serious problems, which will be the subject of their professional activities,
“I will and will use all the mechanisms available to me as Foreign Minister against any diplomat, Russian or otherwise, who came to Bosnia and Herzegovina to spy, undermine and work against the interests of the State of Bosnia- Herzegovina. I have no information. This should be done by security agencies. We wait for them to tell us what they say. I cannot emotionally, if I don’t like someone, write that someone is “persona non grata”. I will seriously do my part and respect the laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Konaković said.
Ultimately, he said he welcomed the decision of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina to prosecute the president of the entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, RS Milorad Dodik, and his coalition partner, because, as he put it, they “attacked the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
“We will continue to protect the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but how will you make progress in a country of consensus? This is why High Representative Christian Schmidt is here,” Konaković said, AA reports.