US Sen Shaheen wants Covic sanctioned if he blocks Southern Interconnection

Addressing McGraw, Shaheen stated that “whether it was the breakup of Yugoslavia or the ethnic conflict that followed, the Western Balkans are a region of the world that far too often has been overlooked, both by Europe and by the United States,” and she underscored that this is a region in which she is personally very interested.

“I think it's critical that U.S. foreign policy doesn't repeat the mistakes of the past. When events arise on the ground in the Balkans, we must deal with them quickly and effectively. From combating Russian influence, to maintaining support for Ukraine, as a NATO ally, Croatia is critical to these efforts. Croatia plays a uniquely important role in Bosnia and Herzegovina, due to both ethnic and political ties. And as an energy transit point, the entire region including Croatia will be vital if Europe is going to wean itself off Russian energy,” she stated.
She particularly emphasized that the region—and especially Croatia—will be of “vital importance” as an energy transit point if Europe wants to end its dependence on Russian energy.

“I hope that, if confirmed, you will support the Dayton Peace Agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as pay attention to how Croatia responds to ethnic developments in the country,” she said.

Shaheen said Croatia plays a major role in stabilizing the entire region, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Bosnian Croats are one of the three constituent peoples of the country. She noted that previous administrations supported the energy sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to complete the Southern Interconnection, which would link Croatia’s and BiH’s energy infrastructure, helping BiH break away from total dependence on Russian gas, while positioning Croatia as a regional leader and establishing a straightforward route for U.S. liquefied natural gas to reach the Western Balkans.

The argued that the project has been stalled due to Bosnian Croat leader Dragan Covic, who has “actively blocked the project at every step, seeking ways to use the construction of the interconnection to increase his own power.”

Shaheen then asked McGraw whether, if confirmed, she would apply pressure on Covic through discussions with Croatian authorities in Zagreb to finally move the project forward.

McGraw responded that she would engage on the issue and make contact with Croatian authorities and the embassy in Sarajevo, stating: “It is very important that we continue working on completing the Southern Interconnection.”

She then asked: "Will you also commit to calling on for US sanctions for Covic if he continues to block the completion of this project?"

"If confirmed, i will definitely look into finding out more about that and getting back to you, to work with congress and to work with you specifically on that", McGraw responded.