Heated debate on Pelješac Bridge: Who is tricking whom with conclusions, proposed declaration

Deputies of the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly are discussing the Report on activities related to the construction of the Pelješac Bridge today.

The author of this report, as well as the one on the construction of the bridge over the Sava River, will be the Ministry of Communications and Transport of BiH, i.e., Minister Ismir Jusko, based on the initiative of Democratic Front MP Hanka Vajzović for the Council of Ministers of BiH to submit to the House of Representatives information on activities related to the construction of the Pelješac Bridge and developments concerning the construction of the bridge over the Sava River near Svilaj, which was accepted by the House of Representatives at its session on July 5.

Vajzović pointed out that she received none of what she asked for, only tendentiously selected information.

- Croatian media wrote in 2007 that BiH rejected the construction of the Pelješac Bridge, and we were suggested by the Ministry of Transport and Communications that everything was agreed upon back in 2007. Much could still be said about the report itself, but I will draw attention to one important detail published in the media on June 10, 2017, which states that a document with conclusions came from the Ministry, and by voting for this document, BiH would officially give consent for the construction of the Pelješac Bridge. At the time of submitting the initiative, I did not intend to draw a line and delve into the merits of open sea, conventions, and the like. In the meantime, I have become well-informed about everything - said Vajzović.

She added that she had requested a comprehensive detailed report, but received nothing she expected.

- Instead, we received meager, tendentiously selected data - said Vajzović, adding that as a representative of the BiH Parliament, not a member of the Croatian Parliament, she is interested in what happened in BiH regarding this case and what has been done on our territory over the past four mandates.

Minister of Transport and Communications of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ismir Jusko stated that open communication can help overcome problems and issues.

- You provided some half-information. When we met in Neum with the Croatian Minister of Transport and Sea, unlike Minister of Communications Matanović, who never met, the topic was only Svilaj. This topic also waited for six years, but neither Matanović nor anyone else initiated it, and I initiated it in two months. I have not and would never sign something like this without the approval of the Council of Ministers. When I talk about activities, there have been no meetings since 2007; I am a state minister and would do nothing against the state - said Jusko.

Damir Bećirović said he was sorry that Jusko was discussing it in this way, but wanted to say that Matanović met with Hajdaš Dončić, the then Minister of Transport and Sea, on July 7, 2015, and that Matanović reacted immediately on July 20, as he requested that Croatia provide names for the working group, which was agreed upon at a bilateral meeting.

Amir Fazlić, head of the SDA Club, said that 24 deputies are proposing a declaration and read out its main provisions.

- The competent authorities of the Republic of Croatia and the European Union are called upon to engage in bilateral talks with BiH regarding the delimitation at sea on the principles of respecting BiH's sovereign rights at sea - Fazlić said, among other things.

MP Predrag Kožul (HDZ BiH) said that the Croatian National Assembly (HNS) adopted that the construction of the Pelješac Bridge is not only in the interest of the Republic of Croatia but also of BiH, especially the Municipality of Neum and the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton. He emphasized that any political harangue was unnecessary because the interests of BiH citizens were not being considered. He said that Croatia does not need BiH's help at all because we often cannot even solve our own problems.

Head of the HDZ BiH Deputies Club Nikola Lovrinović said that BiH defends the rights of citizens to respect their neighbors and love them, emphasizing that they are our best friends. He accused the opposition, specifically Saša Magazinović and Denis Bećirović, of having alienated BiH from everyone and that they will alienate the country from the European Union as well.

Šemsudin Mehmedović also said that a series of omissions have been made in recent years regarding the determination of borders, and that no one should feel called out because of this, as it concerns several mandates.

- It was proposed in the information that the agreement of the Working Groups from 2007 be accepted. I think this is a setup by the BiH Ministry of Transport; perhaps the minister was on vacation, but this is unacceptable - said Mehmedović, adding that there is no line if BiH has open sea.

The Minister of Finance of BiH, Vjekoslav Bevanda, also took the floor, stating that the Council of Ministers of BiH did not adopt the conclusion to send a note to the Republic of Croatia regarding the construction of the Pelješac Bridge. He confirmed Minister Jusko's statement, emphasizing that he had not seen any particular interest of BiH in the last ten years.