Croatian President, Zoran Milanovic, said on Thursday that he has a “problem” with Bosnia becoming a NATO member because the country is “uncoordinated” and would not be able to meet its obligations within the Alliance because of that.
“We are a NATO member, I am the president and commander-in-chief and I have a problem with a country that is so uncoordinated entering NATO because I take over guarantees for such a country,” Milanovic said.
“I would gladly (have Bosnia be a NATO member) because of Bosniaks and Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbs are against it, but in this situation, you carry an ally you are responsible for on your back. It is a contractual obligation, and the ally is not able to fulfil it,” he added.
Milanovic said he feels that Bosnia’s NATO accession process is “not that important” of an issue for the leader of the main Bosniak party in Bosnia, Bakir Izetbegovic.
“He turned more towards Ankara, but Ankara is a NATO member, at least it still is,” he said.
Milanovic recently met with the Serb member of Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency, Milorad Dodik, in Zagreb to discuss Bosnia’s Euro-Atlantic integration, the implementation of the Dayton Agreement and the position of the three constitutional peoples in the country – Croats, Bosniaks and Serbs.
Dodik has expressed opposition to Bosnia entering NATO for years.
Izetbegovic strongly criticised Milanovic, arguing that the Croatian President should have invited all three Bosnian Presidency members instead of only Dodik.
The Bosniak leader, however, did recently meet with Croatian Prime Minister, Andrej Plenkovic, who had also previously met with Dodik.
Milanovic went on to criticise Izetbegovic, arguing that the leader of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) is “inconsistent.”
“I respect Bosnia and Herzegovina, but Mr. Izetbegovic is inconsistent because he went to the Croatian PM although he had met with Dodik,” the Croatian President said.
The situation in Bosnia “will not end well,” he said.
“This, of course, does not mean that there will be any conflicts, but it will not end well. Croatia simply has a way to fight in a peaceful but persistent way for what simply belongs to one of the peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Milanovic said, referring to the ongoing negotiations on changes to Bosnia’s Election Law.
