Bećirović: Dodik, Čović, and Izetbegović were warned not to run in 2022.

(Patria) - Zijad Bećirović, Director of the International Institute for Middle Eastern and Balkan Studies (IFIMES), said tonight on Pressing on N1 that after the 2022 elections, in Bosnia and Herzegovina there will be no three leaders: Milorad Dodik, Bakir Izetbegović, and Dragan Čović.

According to him, the current leaders of the largest parties in BiH have been warned not to run.

”Some have already been warned not to run. They are not that young, they can find some health reasons. I am referring to these three: Milorad Dodik, Bakir Izetbegović, and Dragan Čović. They will not be on the scene from 2022. It has been very clearly suggested to them, if they do not listen, there are ways. Ask them who told them that”, Bećirović said in a conversation with Amir Zukić.

He pointed out that BiH leaders outside the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina ”mean nothing to anyone”, speaking about the weak and slow reaction of BiH authorities to the procurement of coronavirus vaccines.

”They mean nothing and they can only mean something in this context. Outside the borders of BiH, they mean nothing to anyone. Look at their vocabulary, what they had at the Security Council, their public appearances, they have a vocabulary of 200 words, no wise words, and everything is directed solely so that they can stay in power at any cost. The next elections, many have been advised not to run. This trio of national leaders, they will not be on the political scene from 2022. I mean it, I know it”, he stated.

He assessed that the pandemic in which we have been living for the past year is not just a medical issue.

”The COVID-19 pandemic is an event in which major geopolitical realignments are occurring. It is not just a medical issue, but a political and geostrategic one. We see how much each country is valued in international relations. Slovenia has failed. Croatia is trying to save itself because it has always conducted parallel diplomacy. And Serbia's position is the strongest, it can help others”, Bećirović told N1.

He emphasized that Kosovo's position in the international framework has significantly changed in the last decade.

”Today is the day of Kosovo's declaration of independence. Ten years ago, Serbia had no say in anything, and now in international circles, it is said that a compromise solution needs to be found. We see that citizens of Kosovo are coming to Serbia and receiving vaccines, not only Serbs but also Albanians. That moment is very important, public diplomacy. There are also many humanitarian elements here because Serbia has also given to Macedonia, Montenegro, and it has been offered to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Some illusions have also fallen because there are no vaccines in Republika Srpska, allegedly Dodik has good relations with Russia and China. This situation confirms who has relative weight in international relations. No politician from BiH has shown that they have that weight. Leaders in BiH are more concerned about how to stay in power”, the guest of Pressing added.

”The authorities are more concerned with the Central Election Commission (CIK) than with vaccinating the population. It is clear that elections have been won in the CIK so far. How many citizens of BiH are there in the world, if they had been approached, I believe they would have provided more than the leaders. And that same population is now threatened by the coronavirus, and they are again dealing with the CIK, and that shows that their goal is – survival in power, and only that is a relevant topic. They are treated abroad anyway and do not know what the healthcare system in Bosnia and Herzegovina is like”, Bećirović stated.