Karamarko: I am for a whole BiH, no one can divide it!

We in Croatia are for a whole BiH, within the borders it currently has. We love Bosnia and Herzegovina as much as Croatia, it is our second homeland, and therefore we will be important support when negotiations on Bosnia and Herzegovina's accession to the European Union begin, said the president of HDZ Croatia, Tomislav Karamarko, in an exclusive interview with the BiH news agency Patria.

The leader of one of the two strongest political parties in Croatia was targeted on Saturday by sharp criticism from political parties from Bosnia and Herzegovina, which accuse him of warmongering statements, an assault on BiH's sovereignty, and support for efforts to divide the country along national lines.

Accusations of Warmongering

The Croatian National Assembly of BiH (HNS) in Mostar discussed the situation in BiH on Saturday, including the position of the Croatian people, and adopted a declaration advocating for the federalization of BiH.

Karamarko sent a letter of support to the HNS, and said that if he had the opportunity, he would probably have come to Mostar in person.

However, Karamarko's support for the HNS was assessed by some political circles in BiH as his support for a new division of BiH.

Željko Komšić, leader of the Democratic Front, said that Karamarko's statement was nothing more than another attempt to achieve war goals through peaceful means.

SDP BiH also responded, stating that the internal issue of BiH is again being attempted to be resolved from the outside.

Karamarko, on the other hand, strongly rejects all these accusations.

- A strong and stable Bosnia and Herzegovina is equally important for the people living in it as it is for us. We consider Bosnia and Herzegovina to be the second homeland of Croats, states Karamarko, who demands an immediate apology from the BiH politicians who called him a warmonger, because he is, he says, not even close to that. On the contrary.

Europe Dreams of Stability in BiH

- I would tell the gentlemen to read my letter in its entirety. It is evident that I do not mention any division of Bosnia and Herzegovina anywhere. I am for a unified and whole BiH with constitutional and legal and institutional equality of all three peoples equally. Any solution that does not start from this standard is unacceptable to me, says Karamarko.

The stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina, claims the leader of the Croatian HDZ, is not only an important factor for its citizens and for BiH's western neighbors. The entire European Union dreams of it, he claims.

Therefore, Karamarko believes, it is very important for all three peoples in BiH to sit down at the table as soon as possible, to agree on matters that should have been resolved long ago, and then to urgently move towards creating a better living environment in BiH.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Karamarko warns, is burdened by the figure of 500,000 unemployed, and this is what BiH politicians should focus on as soon as possible. A large number of people in the country are not only on the brink of poverty but are on the verge of starvation.

- Let's first resolve the situation in the Federation of BiH, make long-term agreements, create coexistence between Croats and Bosniaks, create a common future. After that, we should talk with Serb representatives, states Karamarko.

When asked if the federalization mentioned by the HNS in its Declaration also implies federalization that includes the territory of Republika Srpska, not just the Federation of BiH, Karamarko responded:

- I think there is nothing untouchable in BiH. What should be untouchable in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the equality and freedom of all citizens. And, what is most important, the quality of life! That is very important. But, for that to happen, we must first resolve the issues that should have been resolved long ago in our, as I call it, second homeland, Bosnia and Herzegovina – the equality of the Croatian people based on the principles I have stated, Karamarko concluded.