Bosnia’s Foreign Minister Elmedin Konakovic said at the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum that this is another opportunity to promote Bosnia and Herzegovina and the positive results that have been achieved, while at the same time there are things that are not going in the best direction. In an interview with N1, he also commented on the fact that Milorad Dodik was invited to this Forum as the President of the Republika Srpska (RS) entity, but not Lidija Bradara, the President of the Federation of BiH. Pročitaj više

“I completely agree with the justification of that question and I'm sorry that the President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is not here. That would make the image complete. I think that Dodik, with some of his own effort, what he shows, with some of his energy, actually managed to position himself in Turkey, better than some others, even Bosniak politicians. And that's something I don't like. I think that Turkey's interest in this whole process can be positive. Their good relations with Serbia and that of President Erdogan with President Vucic, and this good relationship with Dodik, can at some point contribute to the stabilization of relations. I don't think that Turkey ever does anything to the detriment of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina in those meetings with Milorad Dodik. I support that,” Konakovic said.

He stated that meetings of the state coalition are recorded so that there are no misunderstandings between the partners, but added that he believes that those recordings should not be published due to collegiality.

When it comes to Dodik's secessionist policy, Konakovic said that it is in a way welcome, because it helps some European leaders to face things and events in BiH that they may not understand very well.

“This would be the best time to deal only with those secessionist attempts. If, by any chance, he were to formally take such a decision, it would open up space for serious and rapid action by the parliament in Sarajevo, which could make important major decisions. Maybe even the decision to join NATO with complete dignity and integrity, with the fact that maybe at that moment we will not control a part of some territory in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the sovereign power is with the headquarters, the central power is in Sarajevo. It could happen today, a scenario that we are already seeing in Moldova, which does not control that part of its territory, but makes decisions for Ukraine, which is now, occupied by the Russian aggressor. And this is something that we could, as he would say, with better cards, currently much better cards than Dodik, bring to an end, in the interest of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but we would lose this huge opportunity for economic development, for Bosnia and Herzegovina and for young people to stay, and quite possibly for young people to return to their country, which at this moment, at least i place it, is in the foreground”, the Minister stated.

Another current issue is the issue of the southern gas interconnection, which should go through Herzegovina. After the letter he received together with his Croatian colleague, Konakovic said that he had a proposal for the Croat Democratic Union (HDZ) and Dragan Covic that would painlessly solve this issue.

“We offered several models, several solutions. BH Gas, as an institution that should and must control this process to the end, can experience some rapid transformation with one of the branches of its company in Herzegovina, which could take care of those Herzegovinian interests, by no means ethnic, national or party because it is an important fuel for the development of the economy and, of course, for the citizens who live there, so I think that those solutions in which representatives of Herzegovina would sit in BH Gas’ management, Management Board and Supervisory Board. A simple solution and implementation of that process,” Konakovic concluded.

How will all the mentioned problems be solved and whether the BiH politicians’ optimism will be transformed into a concrete result in a few weeks, during the session of the European Council, which was called for March 21 and 22, will show, until which they have a lot of hard work.