Youth leaving the country is the most dangerous problem Bosnia is facing and that can be reduced by the maintaining of peace, stability and economic growth, former Bosniak member of the tripartite Presidency and leader of the Party for Democratic Action (SDA), Bakir Izetbegovic, said on Thursday.

“Youth and families emigrating is the gravest and most dangerous problem Bosnia will have to tackle,” he said, adding that “only persistent work can slow and stop the trend.”

That work entails improving and maintaining “peace, stability, security, strengthening of the economy, mass construction,” he added.

However, throughout the past year Bosnia was mostly focused on something else, he said.

“The battle between two principles Bosnia was created upon, the civic and ethnic principle, has been fought throughout 2018,” he said, referring to the ongoing quarrel between political parties on how to change the Election Law in the country, which was declared unconstitutional.

Asked whether Bosnia will proceed toward NATO despite the resistance of the Bosnian Serb member of the Presidency, Milorad Dodik, Izetbegovic said he is convinced it will, explaining that Dodik’s party supported Bosnia’s membership but then changed its mind.

It may change its mind again, he said.