MEPs Strik and Köster in Sarajevo, a series of meetings with BiH politicians

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - A delegation of the European Parliament, including MEPs Tineke Strik and Dietmar Köster, is visiting BiH today and tomorrow due to the current political situation. They are signatories of a letter from a group of MEPs that called on the High Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, and the EU High Representative, Josep Borrell, to react to the current political crisis in BiH.

Today, they will hold meetings at the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH with members of the Interdepartmental Working Group for Amendments to the BiH Election Legislation.

They will also meet with members of the Collegium of the House of Representatives and the Collegium of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly.

These two MEPs will hold a meeting with representatives of the SDP BiH and NS - Independent Bloc clubs in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During the two-day visit, a meeting with High Representative Schmidt, as well as with representatives of civil society and non-governmental organizations, is also planned.

On Saturday, they will hold a press conference.

Both Strik and Köster expressed concern about the political crisis in BiH prior to their arrival.

"We are in a critical phase for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The coming weeks will potentially determine the country's future for decades to come. It is of vital importance that the country returns to a stable and predictable reality. But if the international community, especially the EU and its member states, continue to allow escalation and reward those actors who provoke the crisis, it will result in an exclusive agreement without the genuine support of a large part of BiH's population, and further deepen ethnic divisions," said Strik, a Dutch representative in the EP in the Greens/European Free Alliance group.

On Thursday, she also met with the BiH Presidency member Šefik Džaferović in Brussels, where he announced a series of meetings with MEPs.

Köster, a German MEP who is part of the Social Democrats group in the EP, emphasized that ethno-nationalist rhetoric in BiH must not be ignored, nor should actions that could ignite the entire Western Balkan region.

"There is no place in Europe for genocide denial. Nor for the impunity of political leaders who violate the rule of law. We confirm our strong support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as its European integration. Only a democratic Bosnia and Herzegovina based on the rule of law has a future in the EU," added Köster.