Vucic in Sarajevo: Many double messages and no concrete actions

By Haris Ljevo

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic visited BiH for two days. It was his first official visit as president.

The arrival of the Serbian president in Sarajevo was long awaited. Boris Tadic visited BiH six years ago on an official visit, Tomislav Nikolic completed his entire term without ever officially visiting Sarajevo, so Vucic's arrival was eagerly anticipated.

His arrival was particularly anticipated due to the increasingly harsh rhetoric heard recently in regional relations.

In Sarajevo, Vucic met with members of the BiH Presidency, members of both houses of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, Chairman of the BiH Council of Ministers Denis Zvizdic, Metropolitan Hrizostom of Dabar-Bosna, and also found time to meet with the leaders of the City of East Sarajevo.

Days before his arrival in Sarajevo, Vucic announced that Serbia is a friendly country to BiH and has exclusively good-neighborly intentions. Vucic repeatedly emphasized that he is aware that many in BiH, primarily among the Bosniak people, as well as many in Serbia, even among his voter base, do not trust him.

However, Vucic clearly does not understand, or does not want to understand, that it is completely irrelevant whether someone believes what he says, because talk is useless. He must convince people, primarily in BiH, through his public actions that he has changed and that he can be trusted.

After the two-day visit to Sarajevo, some conclusions can be drawn and answers can be given to the concrete questions of whether Vucic has changed and what his policy towards BiH is.

- I think we are able to look to the future and tell each other everything we have to say. I don't have a habit of flattering anyone, but I want to say for the citizens of BiH, for Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs, that Serbia is a friend and that we will act as a friend, and you will be able to see that in the months and decades to come – said Vucic.

While talking about looking to the future, Vucic and Dodik announce the adoption of a Declaration on the Protection of Serbs in the Region. From whom are Serbs in the region in danger, so that the two of them defend them with some declarations? What kind of future is Vucic talking about then?

After the meeting with the members of the Council of Ministers, Vucic addressed the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Denis Zvizdic, as Denise several times at a press conference, which most often evokes sympathy from viewers, as most will think it indicates close relations. However, in political communication, such approaches are considered disrespectful. Vucic probably wanted to convey to the public through such an attitude towards Zvizdic who is a big and who is a small player in regional political relations.

At one point, while talking about projects, Vucic said together with "Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina", which can be called anything but respect for the territorial integrity of BiH, to which the Serbian president refers. RS and BiH are not separate entities, but RS as an entity is an integral part of BiH and should not be separated, not even rhetorically.

The President of Serbia also found time this time, after meeting with the highest state representatives of BiH, to "pop in" to East Sarajevo, thus directly sending a message that one nation in BiH is still "more valuable" than the other two.

Vucic's long-announced visit to Sarajevo passed again without concrete agreements, only with nice words and double messages.

When Vucic does something concrete, then everyone will believe him, and until then, nice words won't cut it.