EU sells BiH sovereignty for Serbian lithium

(Patria) - The memorandum allowing Serbian police officers to patrol cities in Republika Srpska, creating the illusion of realizing the “Serbian world,” and the memorandum between the European Commission and Serbia on raw materials are connected events carefully negotiated between Serbia and the EU, warns Nasuf Hadžiahmetović, vice-president of NAPRIJED!

"Bosnia and Herzegovina must start looking at the EU in the context of its economic interests and its willingness to make concessions to Serbia regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina for the sake of those interests. After the summit on energy raw materials in Belgrade and the memorandum between Serbia and the European Commission on raw materials, it becomes clear that Vučić has agreed to elements of the Declaration of the All-Serbian Assembly with the EU, which has agreed to concessions in Bosnia and Herzegovina in exchange for lithium.

The EU has simply sacrificed elements of Bosnia and Herzegovina's sovereignty by giving Serbia and Republika Srpska the illusion of the beginning of unification. The Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina must protest this to the EU and clearly emphasize that economic interests have become the guiding principle in the relationship towards Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia's goals in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Vučić and Serbia emerge as winners in this phase, and the new threat is that lithium from Republika Srpska will be Republika Srpska's trump card in further undermining Bosnia and Herzegovina's sovereignty.

We have before us two memorandums that say a lot about how lithium from Serbia will affect the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia announced that from Monday, July 22, one uniformed police officer and an officer from the Criminal Police Directorate of Serbia will be deployed in Banja Luka, Foča, and Trebinje, who will work together with colleagues from the BiH entity Republika Srpska until September 1. Based on the Memorandum of Cooperation during the tourist season between the Ministries of Internal Affairs of Serbia and Republika Srpska, police officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska will be engaged in Belgrade, Novi Sad, and Zlatibor during the same period, whom tourists will be able to contact.

The European Commission announced today that the EU and Serbia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding launching a Strategic Partnership on Sustainable Raw Materials, Battery Value Chains, and Electric Vehicles, explaining that the memorandum establishes close cooperation between the EU and Serbia in five areas, in line with the Stabilization and Association Agreement.”

The mutual deployment of police officers from Serbia and the Republika Srpska entity undermines the integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Republika Srpska entity becomes an integral part of Serbia. It is time to take concrete measures to repel attacks on Bosnia and Herzegovina," states Hadžiahmetović.