Bosnia’s Presidency Chairman Bakir Izetbegovic said in Brussels that MAP activation for Bosnia and Herzegovina is only a matter of time. He added that NATO did itself a disservice when it allowed entities to implement some of its obligations.

Staying at the NATO Summit in Brussels, Izetbegovic spoke about the NATO Membership Action Plan’s (MAP) activation for Bosnia, saying it will either be activated before the general election on October 7 or several days after the election.

When it comes to the conditions which Bosnia must fulfil, meaning the registration of non-prospective military property, Izetbegovic said:

“We did as much as we could. Unfortunately, this process was handed over to the man who is against the MAP activation, the Republika Srpska (RS) entity President Milorad Dodik. By not registering the state property, this man is preventing Bosnia from becoming a NATO member,” Izetbegovic said. “We must get out of this situation. NATO made this to itself, so now a man who is against NATO is stopping an entire country from becoming a member state. Bosnia needs NATO. The Balkans needs security and stability. Everyone needs a stable Bosnia.”

Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of two entities and a district. The Croat-Bosniak dominated Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska (RS), and the Brcko District.

Commenting on this statement, RS President Milorad Dodik said even Izetbegovic knows that RS is committed to military neutrality.

“It is unacceptable for RS to transfer its military property to Bosnia and Herzegovina. It’s an invention of (the former High Representative, in charge of overseeing the civilian implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the war in Bosnia) Paddy Ashdown who forced the idea upon us some 15 years ago,” Dodik said.

He added that the RS cannot accept NATO because “it interfered in the war (in Bosnia) and bombed Serbs not only in the RS but in Serbia as well, and that is our true motive.”

Dodik also noted that Izetbegovic was finally right about him, that he was against the MAP activation as well as joining the NATO.