Čović: Southern Interconnection is not an individual's project, but the new company must be headquartered in Mostar!

(Patria) - HDZ BiH President Dragan Čović held a press conference in Mostar today on the current political situation.

At the beginning, he emphasized that eight years after submitting the application for membership in the EU, there is no more important moment for the family than the one we are currently in. He said that during the visit of the EU delegation and the European Commission, it was clearly underlined what BiH's obligations are when it comes to our EU perspective.

"We have very little time left, two or three weeks, to implement it. I see no reason why we should perceive the conditions that need to be met as insurmountable. We can finish that job by the end of February, and I am convinced that we will succeed in doing so. Croatian representatives at all levels of government institutions are fully committed to our Euro-Atlantic path. That is a long-term goal that has no alternative," Čović said.

He said that with the partners with whom they signed the agreement at the Council of Ministers level, they have very clearly specified what needs to be done to resolve many open issues.

"Without any political games, we believe that we must complete this job with our partners through the executive branch. Our partners must abandon policies of outsmarting, inconsistency in their work, and changing stances on what we have precisely agreed upon. We will have a meeting tomorrow, and we can resolve everything tomorrow. This time, the accustomed games of political marketing for the needs of the bodies they address must stop in the next 20 days, and I call on all opposition leaders to understand that this is a time that will not repeat itself and that we must make key decisions. A clear message to our partners - let's not look for an alibi policy for those who make decisions on our behalf. Our EU path cannot correspond with imposed decisions," he added.

He emphasized that the international community is a strategic partner in foreign policy and invited them to help us find the best solutions through experts and incorporate the highest democratic standards.

"We expect the OHR to refrain from imposing any decisions, as it will derogate our EU path. We want to protect the rights of the Croatian people and our homeland BiH to the end. We must understand that the Croatian people will not give up on any strategic issue. When it comes to constitutional equality and legitimate representation, we will insist on respecting the Constitution. Everything else that we need to change in the time ahead must be incorporated into the Constitution.
The only ones who truly and continuously seek dialogue and are positioned between unitarism and secessionism are Croats," he said.

He stated that it is necessary to build a state of law to the end, ensure the security of every inhabitant, and ensure energy independence.

Speaking about the so-called slanderous false information that has been circulating in the public, he said that it was precisely HDZ that contributed to the stabilization of relations in Mostar, the only multi-ethnic city.

"We signed an agreement in Mostar in the presence of the international community. I call on all those representatives to fully implement that agreement. Mostar has prosperity and is attracting investment, and I invite them to realize what has been signed together," added the head of HDZ.

Speaking about the Southern Gas Interconnection project, he emphasized that BiH's energy independence holds a special place in the policies of both HDZ and HNS.

"We engaged top experts who suggested that we draft a law on the Southern Interconnection, so that the company that will deal with it is a public enterprise headquartered in Mostar. They made it clear to us that we must not leave such a project to chance, so it cannot be a private project of any individual. The project is designed to go through three cantons," he said, adding that the headquarters of this new company must be in Mostar, and it must be owned by the FBiH Government, just like the company BH-Gas, which has no Croat employees.

"We have a draft law, our proposal has been submitted to both the US administration and the FBiH Government, and we want it to go into procedure. It is a public enterprise owned by the Federation, just like BH-Gas. The headquarters must be in Mostar, and how can anyone expect us to entrust such an investment institute to someone in that company where there are no Croats?" he said.

Čović also said that he does not have the luxury of speaking harshly and as suggested, but that he cannot deviate from the agreements reached by the partners. He reiterated that there is a recording where everything is clearly stated and that this agreement should not be further desecrated.