Lajcak for Patria: If there is progress on the path to the EU, it doesn't matter who governs BiH

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia Miroslav Lajcak begins his two-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina today. In an interview with the Patria news agency, Lajcak says he is visiting as planned, at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH Igor Crnadak.

LAJCAK: I am very pleased to be back in Sarajevo, almost a year after my last visit. In November last year, I visited BiH shortly after the general elections. The leaders of BiH faced challenges – from forming functional governments and programmatic priorities to fulfilling homework on BiH's path to European integration. Looking back, I will assess with partners what has been achieved and what still needs more work. My program includes not only a visit to Sarajevo but also to Srebrenica, where I will officially open a multi-purpose playground for children, youth, and adults, for which the Slovak Republic provided financial support in the amount of 70,000 euros.

PATRIA: Whom will you meet with among officials, or party leaders? What messages do you have for BiH officials?

LAJCAK: There will be many meetings, as always. I will meet with the Chairman and members of the Presidency of BiH, Dragan Čović, Bakir Izetbegović, and Mladen Ivanić, as well as with the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH Denis Zvizdić and my counterpart Igor Crnadak. Meetings are planned with Mr. Radončić, Radmanović, and Bosić. I will also meet with representatives of international organizations in BiH.

Of course, I am closely following the changes that have occurred in BiH; I am pleased with the progress in the implementation of the Reform Agenda, the finalization of action plans, and the preparation of the coordination mechanism on EU issues. BiH must not falter in its efforts; it must seize the opportunity to catch up with its neighbors and act proactively on the renewed EU approach and achieve concrete, tangible results. The EU wants to see real facts and is always able to assess them very quickly. A strong impulse and strong will must come directly from you. The entire region has undergone visible changes; problems are being resolved between Belgrade and Pristina, Montenegro is at the doorstep of NATO, Serbia is soon opening its first chapters, Kosovo has signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement, and Albania may open accession negotiations with the EU as early as next year. BiH must not be the last wagon; I care about the country being successful with stable, functional institutions that will honestly work towards approximating the EU.

PATRIA: You are more or less "local" here. You are an excellent connoisseur of the situation in BiH. How do you comment on the new SDA-SBB-HDZ BiH coalition? Can these parties make a radical turn on BiH's reform path towards the EU?

LAJCAK: My job is not to speculate and comment on various political combinations at different executive levels. What is important for the EU and the international community are the results of the entity governments and the Council of Ministers. If consensus is reached between party leaders on priorities that will lead to progress, and if such coalitions have the potential to guarantee political and institutional stability and implement important societal reforms, it would not matter who governs the country. Ultimately, citizens give politicians a legitimate mandate, and thus responsibility. Elections are always a measure of success. I must immediately add that the overall atmosphere in society and the division of political forces require a cooperative spirit so that all political parties can succeed in cooperating in the interest of achieving a common goal.

PATRIA: Your country, Slovakia, was fiercely against refugee quotas and had a different view on the refugee crisis than the rest of the EU. Have anything changed in your views in the meantime, and are there registered refugees in Slovakia who have expressed a desire to stay?

LAJCAK: Since the beginning of the negotiations on the immigration crisis, Slovakia has advocated for the need to address the causes, not just the consequences of migration. It was against narrowing the discussion solely to quotas, which will not solve the immigration crisis. We have held this opinion from the beginning, and we are pleased that a rational and complex approach is beginning to prevail at the EU level, rather than mutual accusations. This was reflected during the last two European Council sessions, as well as during the mini-summit of leaders of member states and candidate countries regarding the Western Balkan route.

Another drawback of quotas is the fact that migrants do not want to stay in Slovakia, i.e., quotas are impractical in practice. The Slovak Republic currently has 33 asylum seekers. Therefore, in the spirit of solidarity, Slovakia offers assistance to countries most affected by migration pressures by providing temporary accommodation to asylum seekers. For example, assistance to Austria – from which almost 500 refugees are temporarily in the territory of the Slovak Republic. The Slovak Republic has committed to providing accommodation for 500 people for two years.

PATRIA: You were in Montenegro during the independence referendum. This country is again at a certain crossroads, where we have a situation where the opposition has risen against Milo Đukanović and Montenegro's upcoming accession to NATO. Your comment?

LAJCAK: It is true that a part of the opposition – not the entire opposition – has decided to publicly demonstrate against Milo Đukanović's government, adding their initial demands for new elections and rejection of the country's entry into NATO. If we consider freedom of expression and assembly as fundamental civil rights and freedoms that must be respected, the demonstrators have crossed the line with their violent behavior. Conflicts exist in society, but they must be resolved democratically and peacefully, not violently, and the place where they are resolved is parliament and legal institutions, certainly not the street and tent encampments.

The Slovak Republic supported Montenegro's accession to the North Atlantic Organization. NATO is no longer just a military but also a political organization based on common values such as democracy, freedom, the rule of law, and a market economy, which are also standards that countries on the path to EU accession must meet. We believe that NATO membership will bring stability and development not only to Montenegro but also to the entire Western Balkan region.

Conspiracy theories are an integral part of Balkan politics

PATRIA: You once stated that you went gray from Milorad Dodik and did not have words of praise for the SNSD leader. However, regardless of such statements, many in BiH still consider you a "friend of Serbs and an enemy of Bosniaks" from your time as High Representative. How do you comment on that?

LAJCAK: The work and tasks of the High Representative of the international community have always been associated with steps and decisions that were controversial and politically unacceptable to some. I have experienced many times being associated with conspiracy theories. This is an integral part of Balkan politics, which I could only laugh at. I can responsibly and openly say that I am a friend of "progress and reforms" and the only thing I cared about and still care about is helping BiH speed up its path in the European integration process – either you support it and thus gain friends, or someone does not identify with it, and thus you become an enemy.

With this thought, I worked in the country as High Representative and EU Special Representative, and with the same intention, I came now as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia. All citizens of BiH equally deserve a prosperous state whose fundamental pillar is a functional rule of law and a high standard of living, regardless of whether they are Serb, Croat, or Bosniak.

Referendum causes concern for the international community

PATRIA: How do you comment on the announced referendum in RS on the BiH Prosecutor's Office and Court? If you were the High Representative now, would you use the Bonn powers, given that it is a violation of the Dayton Agreement?

LAJCAK: When I talk about the need for progress and inevitable reforms, I do not consider the proposed referendum to be progress in this direction, but rather a brake on the goals achieved so far. This decision is disturbing and causes concern for the international community. I myself used the Bonn powers only as a last resort and always preferred dialogue over sanctions. Likewise, shortcomings in the BiH judiciary should be resolved within the framework of the Structural Dialogue on Justice, which was created precisely for this purpose.

Migrants are not a trigger for renewed inter-ethnic conflicts

PATRIA: Do you share the opinion of European officials who are increasingly warning that armed conflict could erupt again in the Balkans due to the potential closure of borders and the refugee crisis?

LAJCAK: The current situation regarding the migration crisis is a great test for Europe of humanity, solidarity, but also respect for the law and political responsibility. Western Balkan countries, through which migrants pass, bear a significant burden. It is important that this problem is solved systematically and in a coordinated manner. Otherwise, we will not be successful, and the EU's financial assistance, mainly directed to Serbia and Macedonia, will be wasted.

I do not believe that migrants are a trigger for renewed inter-ethnic conflicts – if that were the case, we would all lose, no one would win, and something like that has already happened in the region, and we all know how it ended and how long it took to re-establish cooperation and regain trust.