Bosnia: US firm gains political backing for Southern Gas Interconnection

AAF president Joseph Flynn and vice-president Jesse Binnall, reportedly linked to US President Donald Trump's administration, met Foreign Minister Elmedin Konakovic on Monday and Croat HDZ BiH party leader Dragan Covic on Tuesday. US chargé d’affaires John Ginkel also attended the meeting with Konakovic.

Officials stressed the urgency of advancing key energy projects, signalling concrete steps to begin construction of a new pipeline connecting BiH to Croatia's LNG terminal on the northern Adriatic island of Krk. Covic emphasised that the project must respect the rights and needs of all three constituent peoples in BiH, calling the Southern Interconnection vital for energy diversification and US investment.

The project had been blocked for almost a year due to HDZ BiH's opposition to legislation designating state-owned BH Gas as operator. Following US embassy involvement, it was tentatively agreed that a US private company would replace BH Gas and receive a concession of at least 30 years.

Ahead of the meetings with the US officials, Covic again proposed creating a new business entity in Mostar to oversee the project, describing it as an "association" of public-sector companies from Croatia and BiH. Konakovic questioned this suggestion, calling it unclear and potentially a media ploy.

"There were no talks about any accompanying or additional company, which is why we avoided that discussion and went for what I consider a more efficient solution. If this isn't some kind of media ploy by Dragan Covic, I think the Americans will be surprised and probably not pleased, because the process has already begun," Konakovic said.

US diplomats expect construction to begin this year. The plan envisages two pipeline branches in BiH, one to central Bosnia and one to Mostar, aiming to secure western gas supplies and reduce reliance on Russian imports via the Turkish Stream.