Adis Ahmetovic, Germany’s chief rapporteur for the Western Balkans told N1 on Wednesday that he hoped Germany would decide to send troops back to EUFOR and in Bosnia in May or June this year. He added the Western Balkans must return to the focus of German as well as European policy, as it is "a key region for Europe's future."
When asked whether the Balkans region and Bosnia, in particular, is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s next target, Ahmetovic said that everyone in Bundestag is now well aware of the danger, following the February 24th, the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“I’m sure that in May or June we will get a decision to involve Germany more actively in the EUFOR mission. EUFOR is not only here to be in Sarajevo, but it must be in the whole of BiH. It must be in Banja Luka, Jajce… EUFOR is there to protect everyone, not just one group”; the German rapporteur said.
“As for [High Representative Christian] Schmidt, if he watched today’s [Bundestag] debate [regarding the situation in BiH], all parties have clearly said what they think and Schmidt was present. They said that a politician like [BH Presidency member Milorad] Dodik, who works on tearing apart the state he presides over, on destroying democracy – that he cannot stay in power. That is why Schmidt received 120 percent of the support in the Bundestag. I can only say: Mr Schmidt, do what everyone is waiting for [you to do].”
Speaking about the recent threat from the Russian Ambassador to Bosnia regarding Bosnia’s NATO accession, Ahmetovic said Germany took this threat quite seriously.
“Germany, but also the EU, has not had the Western Balkans on its agenda, in recent years. That vacuum that was created was filled by undemocratic countries like China and Russia. The fact that Putin and Lavrov are waging a war in Ukraine, and that the Russian Ambassador is threatening Bosnia and Herzegovina as a sovereign state – that is something we have taken very seriously. One ambassador must not be allowed to threaten a sovereign state just because it wants to join NATO. We must work for all the countries of the Western Balkans to be independent of Russia,” he stressed.
US envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escovar said earlier this week that Bosnia can become a civic state only after it joins the EU, to which the German rapporteur responded by saying that Germany disagrees with this statement.
“I disagree. He must be asked what he meant by that? One should also ask whether this is the position of the American administration or only his personal view? Germany has a clear position towards Bosnia and Herzegovina and that vision is for BiH to be a member of the European Union and to be a civic state where everyone will feel part of that country, without anyone being discriminated against,” Ahmetovic responded.
All six Balkan states must join EU together
Speaking about Hungary’s promise to support Serbia being the first to join the EU from the Western Balkans, Ahmetovic said that all six countries of the Western Balkans must enter together and that it would not be good for Serbia to be the first to join the union.
“History has shown us the example of Croatia and Slovenia, that it is wrong because they played ping pong and Slovenia constantly blocked Croatia's entry. Therefore, in order to avoid another blockade, it is best for all six countries to join together. That is my position in the Bundestag,” he said.
Asked to comment on Serbian Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin’s claims that his generation must establish the so-called “Serbian world,” the German envoy said he could only imagine this was Putin’s goal.
I think that the political situation in Serbia is not easy at all. I also think that it is not easy for [Serbian President] Aleksandar Vucic to balance these extreme situations on both sides. With such talk, Vulin only works against democratic and European principles. We all know this, and I am sure that Serbia cannot enter the European Union if it follows the idea of the “Serbian world.” Vucic personally told me that he respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of BiH. So, he cannot respect it if he follows the idea of the “Serbian world.” In Germany, this is not the way to talk and there is only one party that speaks this way – the AfD, but no one listens to it nor pays attention to it; maybe only 10 percent of people do. All this indicates that we must work on the democratization of the Western Balkans. In this respect all governments in BiH, Serbia and Croatia have a great responsibility in that process,” Ahmetovic concluded.
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