BRKIĆ ALSO ADDRESSED THE COMMITTEE Grlić Radman on BiH: Political forces in favour of cooperation with Croatia under media attack

(Patria) - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH Josip Brkić (HDZ BiH) today attended in online format a joint session of the Committee on Foreign Policy and the Committee on Croats Outside Croatia of the Croatian Parliament.

During his address to the Committee, Brkić presented certain views that are debatable regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina. He said that „the lack of an integration path opens space for Russia, China, Iran, Turkey and all those who do not advocate the European path of BiH.“

Speaking about the formation of the FBiH Government, Brkić said that in BiH „it is normal to seek dialogue and compromise“ but that he believes the process will be completed within the planned timeframe.

Božo Ljubić, President of the Main Council of the Croatian National Assembly of BiH, emphasised that the formation of the Federation government is still in a stalemate, which represents a major challenge for Croats because they want to enter government with parties of the civic-Bosniak option that does not have a majority, as the SDA has taken control.

He stressed that the SDA achieved a majority after the elections „by buying a number of deputies” who entered the assembly on other lists.

He warned that the civic-Bosniak bloc is a heterogeneous group and that within it „he recognises some parties and individuals who are eagerly awaiting a change of leadership in the SDA” and their return to that party.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia Gordan Grlić Radman said that Croatia hopes that political forces advocating cooperation both within and with neighbouring countries will prevail in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and noted that these actors are facing „a harsh media campaign”.

He added that a new approach and „exceptional dynamics of bilateral visits and meetings” are noticeable.

He emphasised that in BiH there is an ongoing „harsh media campaign” aimed at exerting further pressure on High Representative Christian Schmidt and Bosniak political leaders who seek to build „constructive relations” with Croats and Croatia, and that their „openness to cooperation” is portrayed as a betrayal of Bosniak interests.

Speaking about the process of forming the Government of the Federation of BiH, Grlić Radman said that Croatia prefers that this process be achieved „through existing procedures”, which would testify to the „maturity of political actors” in BiH.

Ljubić spoke about three concepts of politicians in BiH – Bosniak unitarism, mostly promoted by the SDA, a secessionist concept advocated by Serbian politics, and a federalist concept advocated, among others, by Croatian politics.

„It is positive that the international community has understood this and is in some way acting to support the tendencies of the federalist concept”, he emphasised.

Grlić Radman also sees „great progress” on the international scene regarding the topic of BiH.

„Now, in fact, all EU countries are competing to see who will organise something related to BiH first, who will make some good foreign policy advertisement for themselves by talking about BiH”, said Minister Grlić Radman, adding that it is now „much easier to talk about BiH in Brussels” because „everyone now wants to understand it”.

He also pointed out that the international community has realised that Croatia has no hidden agenda in BiH and that the stability of that country is in the interest of the entire continent.

Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Policy Gari Cappelli announced that a delegation of the Parliament will visit the German Bundestag on 20 April for a discussion on the Western Balkans and BiH, where they will again express dissatisfaction with the declaration adopted by that body.

Incidentally, the President of HDZ BiH Dragan Čović was also in Zagreb yesterday.