CSS: Politicians' Unbearable Silence on Marfi's Slaps Regarding the NATO Path

(Patria) - After a series of CSS statements in the recent period about the evident stagnation and blockade of the continuation of BiH's integration into NATO, the public is somewhat taken aback by the sharp critical review presented by the outgoing American ambassador to BiH, Mr. Michael Marfi.

"Frustrations with the attitude of the ruling coalition regarding the declared platitudes we witness daily and the reality in which Dodik's policy has achieved its maximalist goals related to blocking the NATO path, it is very interesting that they have not elicited a single comment from representatives of HDZ BiH or the Troika. It is not important for the public whether they dare not oppose the ambassador who provided the greatest support to the current state and federal coalition, but citizens, especially those in the FBiH, more than deserve a clear stance on why the set foreign policy goal for full NATO membership has been abandoned. We will only remind you of the last survey conducted by the American IRI, according to which 61% of Croats and 76% of Bosniaks believe that BiH should become a NATO member.

The facts show that the last document, the Reform Program for 2022, albeit with some delay, was still sent to NATO headquarters in Brussels and positively evaluated by NATO officials. After that, the Reform Programs for 2023 and 2024 failed to even pass the consensus phase of the Commission for Cooperation with NATO, which is the authorized proposer of these documents, headed by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH, with technical support for its work provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH," states the CSS.

Since August last year, almost no document from the Ministry of Defense of BiH has been placed on the agenda of the Council of Ministers of BiH, just as announced by the party leaders of SNSD, Mr. Dodik and Ms. Cvijanović.

"It is somewhat encouraging to hear Ambassador Marfi say that NATO, like the USA, will not allow the creation of a security vacuum in BiH and that there is Washington's support for BiH's aspirations for NATO membership. However, all this is insufficient in the boiling tensions in the sphere of international relations and the power struggles of great powers, which can sometimes have devastating consequences for the interests and destinies of small states like BiH.

Regarding Ambassador Marfi's comments on the shortcomings in the operational and logistical affairs of the Ministry of Defense of BiH, we must not ignore the fact that representatives of NATO, as well as the US government, are actively involved in all processes of the ministry and, therefore, bear part of the responsibility for inconsistencies in the implementation of certain tasks," conclude the CSS.