Further clarification from Bećirović's Cabinet: State Border Agreement between BiH and Croatia pending since 1999.

(Patria) - The BiH Presidency adopted a conclusion to expedite the continuation of the ratification process of the State Border Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia, proposed by BiH Presidency member Denis Bećirović.

"The adopted conclusion tasks the Council of Ministers of BiH and the State Border Commission of BiH to, no later than 60 days from the adoption of this conclusion, take the necessary measures to expedite the continuation of the ratification process of the State Border Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia. In addition, the Council of Ministers of BiH and the State Border Commission of BiH are tasked to submit a Report on the negotiations so far regarding the interstate demarcation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia to the BiH Presidency no later than 45 days.

Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia, as member states of the United Nations, are obliged to continuously work on improving friendly relations and maintaining and strengthening mutual cooperation, while respecting the fundamental principles contained in the UN Charter as well as in the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations of 1970.

At the level of the Interstate Diplomatic Commission for the identification, marking, and maintenance of the state border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia, the State Border Agreement was harmonized in June 1999. An integral part of this proposal was a map with 86 geodetic maps on a scale of 1:25,000, on which the identified border line was drawn. The State Border Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina sent the State Border Agreement to the Council of Ministers of BiH for further procedure at the beginning of July 1999. The State Border Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia was signed on July 30, 1999. The ratification procedure of the State Border Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia in Bosnia and Herzegovina began immediately after its signing in 1999.

In the Republic of Croatia, this Agreement never entered the ratification procedure, although the initiation of ratification in the Parliament has been announced several times, as stated by Bećirović's cabinet.