Croatian PM in Dayton: W. Balkans essential for Europe’s lasting peace

He added that Croatia supports Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

The Western Balkans are not a peripheral issue. They are essential for Europe’s long-term peace and the strength of our transatlantic alliance, Plenkovic stated at the reception on renewed focus on peace and prosperity in the Balkans.

The Prime Minister was taking part in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s spring session in Dayton, where the agreement that ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina was signed 30 years ago.

Despite the passage of three decades, the memory of the brutal war, human suffering, and destruction, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, remains vivid, the Croatian PM said.

He noted that Croatia, as one of the signatories of the Dayton treaty, is proud of the constructive and crucial role it played in bringing that war to an end.

Croatia stood by Bosnia and Herzegovina in its darkest moments, offering refuge to those fleeing the war, keeping humanitarian corridors open, and ultimately carrying out decisive military operations that paved the way for peace, said Plenkovic.

He added that this solidarity continues to this day, with Croatia remaining one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s most reliable partners, supporting its Euro-Atlantic aspirations and advocating for reforms, dialogue, and equal rights for all its constituent peoples.

Plenkovic emphasised that the rights of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina must never depend solely on demographic data, because Bosnia and Herzegovina is their homeland, one they defended, helped build, and contributed to its future.

Croatia has both a moral obligation and a strategic interest in ensuring that Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina enjoy equal rights, not special privileges, he stressed.

He went on to say that Croatia continues to advocate for inclusive dialogue and compromise within Bosnia and Herzegovina so the country can fully realise its potential as a stable, democratic, and prosperous state.

“And just like in the 1990s, we will offer the same support to other countries in Southeast Europe on their path toward stability, prosperity, and integration into the transatlantic community, he concluded.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo, are the only countries in the Western Balkan, which are not members of the NATO alliance.