Member of Bosnia's tripartite Presidency Mladen Ivanic said that statements by the other Presidency member Bakir Izetbegovic concerning the potential, future, armed conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina were not coincidental, but a deliberate provocation.

“Republika Srpska (RS) entity must seriously consider Izetbegovic's threats and act on two fronts. The first is to implement a strict control of the production and disposal of arms in Bosnia, in line with international agreements,” Ivanic said.  

Ivanic stressed he also intends to contact the Peace Implementation Council, a Council that oversees the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement which ended the war in Bosnia, and discuss Izetbegovic's statements with them.  

Ivanic's reaction comes after Izetbegovic's claims that Bosnia will not waste money on new missile systems and combat aircraft, alluding to the recent Serbian and Croatian acquisitions of arms. Izetbegovic said that instead, Bosnia will improve its arms industry and increase its production in case of a potential future conflict.  

Ivanic added that statements like those fully justify the RS’ procurement of arms and combat gear for the RS Interior Ministry, when the Ministry acruired over 5,000 automatic rifles for its police units.  

When asked what is the goal of Izetbegovic's claims, Ivanic said that the goal was to score more points with his target electorate before the general election. He warned that it is alarming that Izetbegovic is thinking of a new war, instead of the economy, development and tolerance.  

Ivanic called on Izetbegovic to stop with this kind of rhetoric and to turn to peace, development, and stability, instead of war.