Croatian President Zoran Milanovic on Tuesday welcomed efforts made by democratically elected officials of the BiH authorities to amend the country's electoral law, describing as unacceptable a statement by the US Embassy in Sarajevo that ties those changes to the amendment of BiH's Constitution.

“Bearing in mind the constitutional obligation of the Republic of Croatia to take care of the status and rights of the Croat people in Bosnia and Herzegovina and taking into account the strategic and national interests of the Republic of Croatia, which can be protected only if BiH is a stable, functional and democratic country of three equal constituent peoples – Croats, Serbs and Bosniaks – President of the Republic of Croatia Zoran Milanovic welcomes efforts made by the democratically elected representatives of the BiH authorities to amend the BiH Election Law,” the Office of the President said in a statement.

“An agreement on the amendment of the BiH Election Law – which is on track to being reached after a recent meeting of the leaders of the HDZ BiH, SNSD, SDP, NiP and NS parties – is the only right way and the only way to stabilise the political situation in BiH,” Milanovic said.

He called on the elected representatives of the BiH state authorities to continue their talks and reach agreement on changes to the BiH Election Law on their own.

Interventions from abroad and the imposing of solutions on the three peoples does not contribute to the stabilisation of BiH, Milanovic said, criticising the statement by the US Embassy in Sarajevo which, he said, “unnecessarily” makes the changes to the BiH electoral law conditional to the amendment of the BiH Constitution.

“All interventions in BiH's election legislation made so far from the outside or imposed on BiH contrary to the will of the elected representatives of the three constituent peoples have unfortunately not contributed to the stabilisation and better functioning of BiH. Quite the contrary, they have further made BiH into a protectorate, hampering the country's democratic development by causing dissatisfaction and opposition,” said the Croatian President.

“That is why it is an unpleasant surprise that we are again witnessing attempts to hamper or even prevent the agreement on changes to the Election Law that is an important part of a broader solution to the functioning of BiH and its progress towards the EU. Statements, such as the one from the US Embassy in Sarajevo, which unnecessarily tie changes to the Election Law to the amendment of the BiH Constitution, are unacceptable to Croatia and can be interpreted as an attempt to obstruct a solution ensuring equal and legitimate representation in the BiH authorities for the Croat people,” he added.

It is the legitimately elected representatives of the three constituent peoples in BiH that should decide about the country's election law as only the agreement between the three constituent peoples can ensure the stability and functionality of the country, as well as its admission to the EU, which Croatia has been advocating and supporting for years, the Croatian president said.