Mijatović wrote to the IMF, EU Delegation and embassies: This is not a land of tribes, we have institutions

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Vojin Mijatović sent an open letter on Saturday evening to the International Monetary Fund in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the EU Delegation to BiH, and the ambassadors of all countries in BiH.

We convey the letter in its entirety: 

“Dear Sirs,

Your Excellencies,

Esteemed friends of Bosnia and Herzegovina

At the very beginning, I wish to thank all of you who, in these difficult and challenging times, have helped the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in addition to the fact that your countries are also facing great problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The entire world is facing a great struggle and problems, and I am convinced that the interest of all governments is the preservation of health and human lives. Since all assessments point to the fact that our lives, economy and political relations will never be the same after the end of this pandemic, and that we will have to find new alternatives for both life and the economy, I took the courage to write you this letter precisely in that atmosphere.

The International Monetary Fund is a strategic partner of Bosnia and Herzegovina; previous arrangements have in many ways significantly influenced our progress in reforms of both our economy and society as a whole.

The international community as a whole has significantly helped the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina over the past three decades, and I have never found it appropriate to doubt the intentions, that the desire of all of you is for my country to become a society of rule of law, equality, freedoms, a society of development, a society of a strong economy, a society capable of contributing to the modern world.

However, today’s infamous, who knows which meeting in a series, behind closed doors, related to the new arrangement with the IMF, prompted me to take the liberty of writing this letter and asking you a few questions.

I am convinced that you will understand my intentions in the right way because, just as you love your countries from which you come and which you represent, I adore and live for my homeland Bosnia and Herzegovina, and what you did today to the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its citizens, and it is not the first time, is at the very least not correct.

The state of Bosnia and Herzegovina has its Constitution, its institutions and its representatives, including when it comes to international agreements, and a credit arrangement with the IMF is essentially that. In that regard, we are no different from your countries from which you come, which are also parliamentary democracies and have their institutions.

Today, for who knows how many times, you met with the presidents of 3 political parties in BiH and behind closed doors agreed on a loan, its distribution, and at that same meeting there were neither prime ministers nor ministers of finance, and you know that we have at least 3 of them in BiH at levels that are relevant when we talk about this type of international agreement.

That would be the same for you if our Chairman of the Presidency of BiH came on an official visit to, say, the French Republic and, instead of meeting with Mr. Macron, met with Ms. Le Pen and negotiated with her about a bilateral agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the French Republic.

I deeply believe that when you negotiate and conclude credit agreements in some of the countries of South America, you do not negotiate with the heads of drug cartels, but with representatives of the governments of those countries.

Some of you, and your predecessors, even had an ugly practice so that these meetings behind closed doors were held in cafes, well, this is some progress, at least it was held in an office, whether the reason is corona or we still have progress in that, we will see.

Once again, I must emphasize that I am sure you will understand the true intention of this letter because I tell you once again, I love my country very much, just as you love yours, and if you do not understand it in the right way, then it is up to you.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, although not an EU member, is still a European country, and tribes do not live here, but citizens, so today you did not need a meeting with tribal chiefs that you held, but a meeting with official institutions. Today, for who knows how many times, you have derogated the institutions of BiH, and now for the first time I ask WHY?

Today you are negotiating a credit arrangement with a man who is on the US blacklist, as is his family, and who, just a few weeks before the virus pandemic, threatened secession and renewed conflict, a man who has publicly stated several times that the European Union is a failed project, that the US is working against him and the Serbian people, a man who openly, together with the Russian Federation, threatens war in BiH and blocks BiH’s NATO path.

Today you are negotiating a credit arrangement with a man for whom Istanbul is closer than Brussels, a man who was deeply involved in all humanitarian malversations during and after the war, a man who is satisfied that BiH remains within the borders of Sarajevo Canton.

Today you are negotiating a credit arrangement with a man who believes that the legitimate representatives of one people are only those who come from his political party, a man who threatens the dismemberment of BiH, a man who glorifies fascism in the year 2020.

These three men have been doing this persistently for 25 years, and you persistently stand behind the crime of these cartel chiefs, I ask you for the first time WHY?

These three men represent only 1/3 of the electorate in BiH, calculate and you will see that I am right, therefore they ultimately do not even have political legitimacy. If it were not for political corruption and paid satellites, they would not even have a majority in parliaments, although even with what they have, nothing functions.

I could write until tomorrow and probably would not write anything that you do not know. Therefore, I ask you this way, let this crisis be a turning point. Change your approach towards BiH, help us implement everything you claim is correct, the rule of law, respect for institutions, strengthening the state and the system, strengthening freedoms.....

We, the vast majority of citizens in BiH, want that, but we cannot achieve it as long as your partners for dialogue are cartel chiefs, and not the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I wish you and your countries all the best, I have immense respect for you and your countries, I love my homeland from the heart, and therefore, as an ordinary man, I call on you to start respecting the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina because that is how you will best help its citizens.

With respect,

Vojin Mijatović,

one spring in the time of coronavirus

in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina".