Čović's honorary doctorate for Lajčak

By: A. Aljović

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HDZ BiH President Dragan Čović will receive the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic Miroslav Lajčak in Mostar on Thursday.

The University of Mostar announced today that it will also award the title of honorary doctor to Miroslav Lajčak, the former High Representative in BiH, on Thursday.

Analysts, such as those from the International Institute for Middle Eastern and Balkan Studies IFIMES from Ljubljana, believe that several high-ranking officials in Europe have grouped together, lobbying the international community for Milorad Dodik and Dragan Čović, and their policy of dismantling Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Honorary doctorates, such as the one to be awarded to Lajčak on Thursday, have previously been the subject of accusations from the academic community, which considers it unacceptable to manipulate science for political purposes.

Journalist from Banja Luka Slobodan Vasković published an article last week accusing top European Union officials – such as Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn – of lobbying in Brussels for Dodik's policy of disintegrating Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Vasković also included Lajčak on the list of these officials.

'Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Enlargement, is Milorad Dodik's main lobbyist in the European Union. Besides Hahn, there is also Miroslav Lajčak, Slovak Minister of Foreign Affairs and former High Representative in BiH,' claims Vasković, noting that Lars Gunnar Wigemark, Head of the EU Delegation to BiH, who is currently concluding his mission in Sarajevo, is also lobbying for Dodik.

Professor from the University of Sarajevo and former member of the Presidency of the Republic of BiH Ivo Komšić recently published a column criticizing Lajčak's attitude towards Bosnia and Herzegovina.

'Only from this perspective is it clear why he left that position before the end of his term. This has not happened to any High Representative, none of them wanted it due to the high position with an unimaginably high salary even for European standards. His departure has never been explained, neither by him nor by those who appointed him. It was justified by his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs of his country, but that was not convincing for the situation. It is known that he was recalled from Sarajevo, that he left and never returned to the position. It is also known that everything happened in the context of the procurement of some expensive machinery for agriculture and forestry for Republika Srpska. The Prime Minister was Milorad Dodik, and a Slovak company won the procurement. The question is whether and why Lajčak was rewarded and who did it: his government or the Prime Minister of RS. Both had a strong reason,' said Professor Komšić.