The leader of the opposition Party of Democratic Progress (PDP) in Bosnia’s Serb-majority part has on Saturday called upon Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik to finally reveal whether the country is about to send a document to the NATO headquarters in Brussels which represents Bosnia’s next step on the path toward membership in the alliance.
Bosnia’s path toward NATO membership is at the core of the political bickering that has been ongoing since the elections in October.
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Although they initially supported Bosnia’s path toward the alliance, Bosnian Serb representatives from have changed their minds a few years ago and now refuse to let the country make any further steps toward membership, while Bosniaks insist on it.
The swords are being crossed now over the next step on that path – sending the country’s Annual National Programme (ANP) to NATO. Monday’s agreement addresses the issue in one of its 12 principles but with such vague wording that nobody can say for sure what it means.
The Agreement was signed by the leaders of the three strongest national parties that won the election – Bosniak Bakir Izetbegovic, from the Party for Democratic Action (SDA), Serb Milorad Dodik, from the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) and Croat Dragan Covic, from the Croat Democratic Union (HDZ).
“It seems to me that Milorad Dodik has accepted full cooperation with NATO, and therefore promised sending the Annual National Programme, but he cannot say that out loud and implement it,” PDP leader Borislav Borenovic said, arguing that Dodik is dragging his feet on implementing the Agreement.
He called upon Dodik and his party to finally say whether the ANP will be sent to Brussels and what the activation of the Membership Action Plan means.
“It doesn’t matter whether the ANP will be reduced or not, nor whether it has 120 or three pages, that is a key step for activating the membership plan and serious cooperation with NATO. After the ANP is sent there is no turning back. Both Dodik and Izetbegovic know this, and so does Washington, and especially Moscow,” Borenovic said.
