Konakovic: Bosnia diplomatic passports issued exclusively to deserving individuals

At a press conference, Konakovic said the passports had been issued to individuals who had made significant contributions to Bosnia and Herzegovina in various fields, adding that they did not confer any diplomatic rights or immunity, but merely facilitated travel.

He specified that his predecessor, Bisera Turkovic, had issued 12 diplomatic passports during her term, while he had issued 284.

Konaković stressed that the largest number had been issued to athletes and sports representatives, adding that all applications submitted by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the BiH Sitting Volleyball Federation had been approved. The remaining recipients were mostly prominent scientists and businesspeople, members of the wartime Presidency of BiH and members of the Mothers of Srebrenica Association.

He added that several applications had been rejected because they did not meet the administrative requirements.

"You will not find anyone among the recipients who is politically affiliated with me, although you will find some who are affiliated with other political parties. I am proud of this process and its multiethnic character, and I will continue it for as long as I serve as minister," Konakovic said.

He also stressed that during his tenure, Bosnia and Herzegovina's position in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which had been weakened in the previous period, had improved significantly.

Konakovic added that relations between Bosnia and Serbia could be expected to improve following the elections in Serbia, noting that people close to the election winners had made encouraging and constructive statements, but that "we are still waiting for official messages from the new authorities".