Izetbegović: Dragan Čović has a constitutional obligation to represent the positions and interests of BiH

Member of the BiH Presidency Bakir Izetbegović reacted to the positions presented at yesterday's meeting with Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović by the member of the BiH Presidency Dragan Čović regarding the construction of the Pelješac Bridge, reports the Patria agency.

- The Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dragan Čović, at yesterday's meeting with the President of the Republic of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, presented positions that are contrary to the official positions of the Presidency of BiH. By acting in this way, Čović has misled both the Bosnian-Herzegovinian and Croatian public.

The claim that "as far as BiH institutions are concerned, there are no formal-legal obstacles to the construction of the Pelješac Bridge" is not true. The opposite is the case.

We remind Dragan Čović of the official position of the Presidency of BiH from 2007, which was unanimously adopted and states: "Bosnia and Herzegovina is against the construction of the bridge until open issues related to the identification of the maritime border line between the two countries are resolved".

The highest officials of the Republic of Croatia were also informed of the aforementioned position at the time.

Dragan Čović, as the current Chairman of the Presidency of BiH, has a constitutional obligation to represent the official positions and interests of BiH. Any different action constitutes an abuse of official position.  

It is unacceptable for the Chairman of the Presidency of BiH, instead of obligatorily representing the interests of BiH, to represent the interests of another country and try to justify Croatia's actions which constitute an attack on the sovereignty of BiH and are contrary to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the long-term interests of BiH - stated Bakir Izetbegović in his reaction.