Košarac should implement the Sofia Agreement on the common market, not tell empty stories

(Patria) - Statements by the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH, Staša Košarac, that Bosnia and Herzegovina should join the "Open Balkan"/"Mini Schengen" initiative, signed by three countries Serbia, North Macedonia, and Albania, do not represent the official position of Bosnia and Herzegovina, stated Šemsudin Dedić, a Member of the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliament and Vice-President of SDA.

"Bosnia and Herzegovina signed the Common Market Agreement at the summit in Sofia, which includes all 6 Western Balkan countries. This Common Market Agreement is under the auspices of the European Union and was initiated within the framework of the Berlin Process, as a regional platform implemented in cooperation with the German government. The third important feature is that this agreement encompasses a much higher degree of cooperation than 'Open Balkan'," Dedić states.

Considering all of the above, the question arises - why should we enter into an agreement with only three countries when we have already signed one with all six.

"And why should we go for something that is not under the supervision of the EU. I fear that, unlike the agreement signed in Sofia, the so-called Mini Schengen is not an economic story at all, but a political one, and Bosnia and Herzegovina needs economic cooperation in this context, not a political story under Serbia's supervision.

Instead of engaging in empty talk, i.e., advocating for an initiative that has no support either in BiH or in the region, it would be better for Minister Košarac to start coming to work and begin fulfilling his obligations regarding the implementation of the Sofia Common Market Agreement," Dedić added.