Franz and Waitz arrive in BiH: To calm the political crisis, peace in the region is threatened

(Patria) - Chairman of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo Romeo Franz and Member of the Greens/EFA group and member of this delegation Thomas Waitz are arriving in BiH and will hold a series of talks over the weekend with BiH parliamentarians, members of the BiH Presidency and representatives of civil society aimed at calming the political crisis in the country.

The MEPs arrive in Sarajevo on Saturday and stay until Monday.

“Current secession attempts in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the new dynamics of ethnic segregation are extremely concerning. Secessionist efforts in the Republika Srpska are a clear violation of the Dayton Peace Agreement. However, European diplomacy has avoided strong criticism or sanctions against the Bosnian Serb leadership,” states the statement from the Greens/EFA group of MEPs.

“MEP Romeo Franz is convinced that the EU and its national governments must avoid by all means that events from the past repeat themselves and that the situation escalates into a violent conflict in the region,” it adds.

The main focus of the talks will be on how the EU can help calm the current political crisis, and the MEPs of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament will also discuss “political reforms to strengthen the rule of law and improve environmental and social policy standards in the country.”

“Our visit to Sarajevo comes at a time of concerning secessionist tendencies of the Republika Srpska. Stability and peace in the region are threatened. With our visit, we want to show solidarity with actors in Bosnian society who are currently defending the vision of an inclusive, democratic and multi-ethnic country. Large parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina want stability and a future in the EU. We must defend their democratic demands with all necessary means,” these two MEPs stated.

During the debate in the European Parliament on November 23, Franz said that Dodik is trying to destabilize the country, supported by Vučić and Putin.

“This is a geopolitical problem. The EU and the international community must act decisively and use the possibility of sanctions against Dodik. Let us stop negotiations with ethnonationalists. 26 years have not moved the country forward. Territorial integrity must not be questioned, peace in the country is in the interest of all citizens of BiH, but also in the interest of all of us,” Franz said.