The issue of Bosnia's first Annual National Programme (ANP) for NATO has been politicized, according to the Chairman of Bosnia's Council of Ministers Denis Zvizdic, who said that adoption of this document is not a condition for government formation but a matter of the rule of law.
“Such an atmosphere has been created, the situation about NATO has been radicalised, there's the influence of some other powers on the overall developments in the Balkans. The one who accepts the ANP would be in advance labelled as a traitor of national interests,” said Zvizdic in N1's ‘Dan uzivo’ programme.
The ANP adoption has been a burning issue in Bosnia ever since the NATO gave a green light to the country last December to send it for the first time, which would mean activation of the Membership Action Plan (MAP) and a step forward in Bosnia's relations with the Alliance.
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But, due to the opposing stances on the NATO membership among three major ethnic groups, the first ANP has not been adopted or sent to Brussels.
While the Serbs strongly object the country's membership in the Alliance, maintaining the stance on military neutrality, the Bosniaks and the Croats advocate for it.
This disagreement directly affected the formation of the state-level government, which still has not been formed after the October 2018 general election.
Zvizdic, a senior official of the main Bosniak party, the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), is supposed to be replaced by a Serb candidate but this has not happened yet as the Bosniak leadership demands the ANP to be adopted prior to the appointment of Zvizdic's successor.
But, the current chairman does not think this means conditioning.
“I think it is a wrong perception that the ANP is a condition for government formation. We speak about the rule of law as a basic principle that Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot give up on,” said Zvizdic.
The ANP is Bosnia's legal, international obligation but it has been completely politicized, Zvizdic said.
“As long as I'm in the Council of Ministers, I will be trying to convince my colleagues about the importance of respecting the laws,” he added.
