Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Elmedin Konakovic, said he was very satisfied with the results of the numerous bilateral meetings he had with the Bosnia and Herzegovina delegation these days, on the sidelines of the session ordinary session of the General Council of the United Nations. Assembly in New York.
“We are listening to messages from world leaders at the assembly itself, because it is important to hear what they have to say to us at this time. It is important to have information on geopolitical issues in the world. However, for me and for the position I am in, it is important to have as many bilateral meetings as possible with the people who make decisions related to Bosnia and Herzegovina and our European path. In addition, I take the opportunity to chat at these kinds of gatherings with people that I would rarely meet in other circumstances. Today I had a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Argentina, who informed me that at the beginning of this month visas for citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina to enter Argentina were canceled , which makes the passport of Bosnia and Herzegovina at least a little more valuable and stable,” Minister Konakovic said yesterday.
He also highlighted the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, a member of the European Union (EU). Konakovic emphasizes that the information he conveyed to his Latvian colleague contributes to the Baltic state being among the EU members who will support the history of enlargement and the position of Bosnia and Herzegovina within the EU.
Summing up the intense working day in New York, the head of the diplomatic mission of Bosnia and Herzegovina also highlighted the meeting with the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, who, according to Konakovic, was very dynamic and interesting: and during which the representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina presented what has been done so far and our expectations on the European path.
“At the end of the day, we also had meetings with our strategic partners, the Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These were very productive meetings where we saw progress in our bilateral relations, which for a while, I would say, were frozen. I am pleased that we have contributed to the increase in the number of Saudi tourists to Bosnia and Herzegovina by 130 percent compared to the previous year. This is a direct consequence of the cancellation of visas. It is equally important that visas for the UAE have been abolished, which we still need to confirm at the meetings of the Council of Ministers and the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I think it will happen soon, by the end of this month. These are all the visible effects of our diplomatic offensive here in New York, but also earlier in other destinations,” says Minister Konakovi.vs.
Evaluating the talks he had in recent days, the head of diplomacy of Bosnia and Herzegovina said that all his interlocutors are very satisfied with the results of the new government of Bosnia and Herzegovina over the last seven months.
“Everyone recognizes our progress on the European path, the adoption of five reform laws, the largest budget in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina and many other measures. Of course, everyone noted this, especially Europeans, as significant progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the path to the EU. However, due to the political activities of the Republika Srpska (RS) entity authorities, they expressed their concern at every meeting, because this is not the time to create problems. This is the moment when we must capitalize on all the good that has been achieved and move significantly closer to the EU. The citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina should feel it in their pockets very soon if we are serious enough to put an end to this story,” Konakovic emphasizes.
According to him, it seems that Milorad Dodik has attracted the attention of all world leaders. Konakovic believes that Dodik has crossed this red line and that now when all world leaders talk about Bosnia and Herzegovina, they talk in two ways. Firstly, on the results obtained, but also on the negative activities of the RS, in particular on the attitude towards the High Representative “whose mandate and legitimacy no one at the UN questions”.
“We are unnecessarily wasting time and energy on this, instead of focusing on the opportunity in front of us,” concluded the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In the coming days, Minister Konakovic is expected to have new bilateral meetings, notably with the heads of Turkish and Indian diplomacy. After New York, the Bosnia and Herzegovina delegation will travel to Washington, where meetings are planned with several members of Congress and senators, as well as with representatives of the State Department in charge of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Balkans.