Dodik after coalition meeting: We agreed on the procurement of 'unarmed' helicopters for the BiH Armed Forces

(Patria) - The meeting of leaders of parties forming the government at the state level has concluded. After the last meeting held in Banja Luka, the leaders of the Trojka and HDZ BiH were hosted again today in East Sarajevo by the SNSD president, Milorad Dodik.

Dodik was the first to address the journalists, stating that the procurement of "unarmed" helicopters for the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been agreed upon.

- We agreed at the end of the last part of the meeting that the Council of Ministers of BiH would adopt certain conclusions, which we confirmed, related to the procurement of helicopters that will be unarmed and used for humanitarian missions and other natural disasters. The ministries of finance and defense have been tasked with creating this process - Dodik said.

On the agenda, he explained, were the harmonization of three issues today - the law on the border service - which has been fully harmonized and will be immediately submitted to the parliamentary procedure for decision-making, then the law on personal data - four contentious points have been harmonized, only one remains, and the Growth Plan.

- We also discussed the Growth Plan. Republika Srpska and the Federation of BiH agreed on it; the problem arose in three cantons where the SDA is in power, and they raised objections, thus halting the process.

We have tasked Borjana Krišto to provide us with the European Commission's opinion on these two or three open issues and to reach an agreement on them. I think we had a creative and good meeting that lasted an hour - assessed the SNSD leader.

He added that the law on the Court of BiH was not discussed today because that request "is not even conditioned by the European Commission," and added that the host of the next meeting should be the president of HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović.

- Although I see a general mood for me to continue, Dragan is next - Dodik said with a laugh.

After him, Čović addressed the journalists, stating that the atmosphere at today's meeting was extremely correct.

- And as you heard, I think we are moving towards an urgent session of the Council of Ministers of BiH to adopt two laws. One is "cleared," and regarding the second, lawyers are defining an addendum, and with that, we have made the necessary progress to open the EU doors for most things that have been stalled so far in the next 10-15 days - Čović said in a brief address.

The leader of SDP BiH, Nermin Nikšić, stated that certain progress has been made today.

- It has been shown that it is good to return to the old practice, where our representatives in working groups work and resolve open issues. Where it "gets stuck," it comes to such a meeting where we then agree on it.

It seems to me that today we have indeed very productively agreed on all the open issues we had, when it comes to the Law on Border Service, the Law on Personal Data Protection, and in a way, other open issues, for which Ms. Krišto will certainly, after receiving the European Commission's opinion, turn it into a document that we will consider.

I am sure that if we continue in this atmosphere, we will make additional progress in fulfilling our conditions on the path to the EU - Nikšić added.