Austrian Ambassador on the Referendum: Tomorrow I would first ask who is rich and who is poor

Those who are creating a nationalist atmosphere in Bosnia and Herzegovina and raising tensions in the country, and are returning to the rhetoric of division and war, are actually harming the interests of their own people as well as others. These are the things that make it difficult or impossible for the economy to progress through new investments.
This was stated in an interview with the news agency Patria by the Austrian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Martin Pammer.

The referendum on the celebration of January 9th in Republika Srpska, which is scheduled to be held in this BiH entity on Sunday, has drawn quite sharp and clear criticism from the international community.

The Constitutional Court of BiH declared the marking of January 9th as the Day of RS unconstitutional, as it discriminates against the other two peoples in RS. The authorities in Banja Luka do not wish to accept the Court's decision, which is why the President of RS, Milorad Dodik, initiated a referendum on this issue. Another decision of the Constitutional Court was to ban the announced referendum, but the politicians leading the BiH entity of Republika Srpska do not wish to comply with that either.

The referendum question on which the citizens of Republika Srpska will vote is: "Do you support January 9th being marked and celebrated as the Day of Republika Srpska?".

Ambassador Pammer says that the situation is serious because, through the referendum, the actors in Republika Srpska are questioning the Dayton Agreement and the Dayton framework for the organization of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and this can undermine the economic stability of the country.

Pammer believes that the citizens of BiH should know that reforms and the country's progress towards the European Union are most important for them now. The referendum in Republika Srpska, the topic of the referendum, are things connected to the past and the time of war. And they are not good, and they are not for the future.

"If such things were avoided, then there would be much more progress and investment in the country, not only from Austria, which is the number one investor in BiH, but also from other countries," says Pammer.

Ambassador Pammer reminds that the Constitutional Court is the last instance in a country everywhere in the world, whether someone likes its decisions or not. If someone does not respect the Constitutional Court, then they are placing themselves outside the legal framework, writes Patria.