Hadžidedić: Britain wants to divide BiH and Macedonia

Croatia acts as a factor of instability, while Serbia's strategic goal is Euro-integration, says prof. dr. Zlatko Hadžidedić, an expert in international relations, political theory, and theory of nationalism, for N1 .

On Wednesday, the Chairman of the Presidency of BiH, Dragan Čović, confirmed that the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, will pay an official visit to BiH on September 7 and 8. The visit of the President of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, is also expected.

Hadžidedić assesses that we cannot expect anything new from these meetings, however...

"The world is in turmoil and flux, and it is entirely possible that these subjects (Vučić and Kitarović) will change their behavior. Vučić has indeed made a policy shift compared to the former Serbian president Nikolić, who tried to show that Russia supported him, which is very questionable and it is very likely that Nikolić was just showing off. Vučić clearly shows a pro-European orientation, he is under the obvious influence of the German government, and this is a new element in these areas," Hadžidedić claims.

Hadžidedić points out that this German influence could bring a much more constructive policy for BiH, as well as for the region.

"Germany has always been the one whose goal was the stability of the region, unlike Britain. The strategic goal of Britain and certain US administrations was the division of BiH, Macedonia, and the permanent instability of the Balkans," explains the N1 guest and adds:

"Germany has become an active factor in these areas. The second thing is much more significant, and that is that Britain has shot itself in the foot with Brexit. Britain has instigated crises like Greece in order to bring about the collapse of the European Union. That did not happen, but something completely opposite happened – the axis between France and Germany was strengthened."

Britain still has a strong influence among politicians in the Balkans, claims Hadžidedić, and recalls the recent Three Seas Initiative, which, with the help of "similar regimes in Croatia, Hungary, and Poland," is trying to separate Germany from Russia.

He also adds that the myth that Germany stands behind Croatia, which he considers a "factor of instability" in the Balkans, is false.

"The same people who benefit from instability are trying to further complicate the situation in BiH through Croatia, with statements like Grabar-Kitarović's insane remarks about terrorists and Čović's actions. Neither Serbia nor Croatia, as they claim, are friends of BiH, but they act according to their own interests. Serbia's current interest is to act towards the EU. Unfortunately, BiH is in a worse position than Serbia, which always has an articulated foreign policy. Serbia is playing a skillful game of raising its own price, and it is once again in the center when it comes to European integration," assesses the expert in international relations and political theory.

The guest of Novi dan also spoke about the relationship between Vučić and Dodik, whom he believes are "not on the same side."

"Strategically, Vučić and Dodik are not on the same side. Dodik will try to draw Vučić into some of his calculations using the populism of the Greater Serbian idea. I think Dodik has weaker cards, and looking long-term, he is on a downward trajectory and is looking for something to destabilize the situation and preserve himself," claims Hadžidedić.

Recently, there has been talk about possible conflicts in the Balkans, and Hadžidedić believes that there will be no war because no country in the former Yugoslavia has the means to wage one.

"Forces that want destabilization have been spreading such rumors. The real possibility of war does not exist because the Balkan countries do not have the resources to wage war, but conflicts lasting about ten days can occur. A psychosis of fear is deliberately being created so that we accept certain options because of the war. The recent visit of the British Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, also confirms suspicions that Great Britain is working on destabilization. Johnson offered to hold a conference in London next year where the division of BiH and Macedonia would be served, because British diplomacy has never truly recognized these two states – formally, it has. Ever since Zaev came to power in Macedonia, that option has ceased to be current. Unfortunately, in BiH, there are only forces of destabilization, and this situation can only change if the existing political structures leave the scene," said Hadžidedić, reports NAP.