Bosnia and Herzegovina has missed out on the first tranche of money from the Growth Plan. Politicians are shifting the blame among themselves, and once again, a negative image is being sent to Brussels. A single document needed agreement. Is there hope for catching up? Elmedin Konakovic, Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH and leader of NIP, discussed this on N1.

Elmedin Konakovic spoke on N1 about various current political issues, the NATO path, and other topics.

At the beginning of the conversation, he explained why cantonal premiers were given so little time to give their opinion on the Reform Plan and mentioned that opposition leaders were contacted for support for this document.

“There are still some chances. We are making efforts for Europe to understand the complexity of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We have some understanding from Europe, but we also need to show some seriousness. We risk being the only ones left out of the Growth Plan. This process has been going on for months. I am not a member of that working group, but I asked my colleagues. I don’t know how long they had the documents before me. The talk about the Constitutional Court is not new. Anyone who says otherwise is misleading the public. We would never have obtained SNSD’s consent. The Dayton rights give them the right to block everything,” Konakovic said.

He added: “We need to adapt to Europe, not the other way around. It was worth sending the document with 111 measures. So people can see what we are losing. I would have been happy with 113. Europe might have some understanding to give us some more time. I couldn’t understand why SDA would block this Growth Plan. They are misleading the public by saying it questions Bosnia and Herzegovina. I regret that Izetbegovic did not want to go through all these points. They are not ready to discuss what the so-called awkward solutions are. They are trying to wash off the stain from themselves (SDA). SNSD is more to blame. SDA shot this process in the foot. It was possible to bypass the cantonal levels.”

Nezir Pivic, the ZDK premier, commented: “If they think this is a good Reform Plan and good for the country, they can do it in an hour by convening the Council of Ministers, changing the decision, excluding the cantons from this decision, and adopting the Reform Plan as proposed.” Konakovic briefly responded: “They are speaking for themselves. I will propose this to the Council of Ministers of BiH tomorrow. These claims are very untrue.”

On whether SDA is conditioning the Troika by expecting to become part of the government, Konakovic said: “This topic, agreements on police cooperation, shows how much damage they have done to BiH. They have always blocked good initiatives for the citizens. They are not ready for cooperation now. If they are ready to put the state above party interests, then they can join. DF has been the most nervous these days. Zeljko Komsic signed all the documents. He is unlucky that we got hold of this documentation. I saw the most nervousness in him and Bakir Izetbegovic. When they talk about betrayal, I invite them to talk with arguments. The way they talk is vulgar, street-level. I cannot stoop to that level. How we managed to condition 16 laws, those are valuable achievements we should remember. The offer for all Western Balkan countries is on the table. SNSD’s delays and SDA’s blockade have put us in a bind. It will be hard to catch up with other countries. We are most interested in continuing the Vc corridor,” said Konakovic.

He also addressed the claims of filmmakers that the Troika has sidelined them: “We promise cultural workers adequate support. They haven’t been supported for years, and they deserve it. They deserve significant support. We must consider every segment of life, and other institutions also deserve support. Given what we found, companies didn’t clearly inform the public about what they found there,” Konakovic noted.

Speaking about the work of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Konakovic said: “There are more laws than in the previous period. Let the public count the laws we passed. Let them be the judges. Let’s see what we lost in previous years. Of course, it’s not comparable to the previous governments,” Konaković said.

He also addressed the signing of the Agreement between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Government of the Republic of Serbia on police cooperation, signed on December 3, 2010, and ratified on August 25, 2011, in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, and on September 14 in the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH.

“I will never agree with what Komsic and Izetbegovic signed. When the Government of Serbia decides to do something with the MUP RS, and they inform the central point about it. They allowed these things to stand. BiH cannot make an action with the police administration of Novi Pazar; it has to go to the state ministry. It only requires that the MUP of Serbia does not go to the entity levels but to the state level. The police of Serbia sent people here to kill. As long as Serbia has such relations with BiH, as long as it demonstrates disrespect, this worries me. Ivica Dacic was very shrewd in this. It seems to me that he will celebrate the signing of this agreement. Serbia has a partner in BiH as long as they respect us, but when they don’t respect us, they will get twice as much disrespect. That’s the message from BiH,” said Konakovic.

Local elections in BiH are coming soon. “Dragan Covic is right. Every pre-election period brings new stories. Tensions are higher. I hope there will be enough reason. Our common interest maintains the country. We often argue. Even within my party, they argue. Let democracy rule. I support democratic processes. Within the Troika, we have different views on some issues. It has never shaken us. That’s a matter of democracy. Everyone has the right to express themselves. In the end, I make the decision within the party,” said Konakovic.

Konakovic recently stated that he would firmly advocate for BiH’s membership in NATO, despite the lack of consensus with RS. “That’s my clear and straightforward stance. And I will be louder about it. I hope they understand how much BiH is worth in NATO. It’s my number one foreign priority. I will do everything to make it a reality. No, I shouldn’t stay calm. That’s Izetbegovic; I am not. I want NATO. NATO has also opened up to us, and they will give us people in the commissions. We have an opportunity,” concluded Elmedin Konakovic for N1.