Osmanović requests lawsuit against Croatia over Pelješac Bridge

SARAJevo, (Patria) - In accordance with his competencies as the Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, I today sent an initiative to the Legal Affairs Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina to initiate legal procedures for the protection of Bosnia and Herzegovina's interests as a maritime state, a signatory to UNCLOS, according to a statement by Adil Osmanović, Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Legal Affairs Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the statement emphasizes, is obliged and competent to defend the interests of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as to use all legal means in preserving and protecting them.

- The Legal Affairs Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a state institution that undertakes all activities based on relevant legal facts, and as such, it cannot and must not be exposed to any political pressure, because the actions of all employees in the Legal Affairs Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in all other state institutions, are subject to material and criminal liability in case of their actions, as well as inaction that may be detrimental to and against the interests of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

All competent institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina are obliged to work jointly and in a coordinated manner on preserving and protecting the rights and interests of Bosnia and Herzegovina, including its rights to access the sea, which are guaranteed by international acts, instruments, and conventions.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has nothing against the Republic of Croatia connecting its territory, but Bosnia and Herzegovina is equally determined to protect its rights and interests at sea.

I hereby publicly call on the leadership of the Legal Affairs Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina to conscientiously assess all presented information and evidence, and based on an expert assessment, to urgently initiate legal procedures before the competent international courts, which will lead to the suspension of the construction of the Pelješac Bridge until the issue of our maritime border with the Republic of Croatia and the determination of a corridor for free access to the open sea is resolved, through the conciliation procedure before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

The Legal Affairs Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina is obliged to do this not only by acting ex officio, but also by earlier relevant decisions of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the Declaration of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Pelješac Bridge of September 13, 2017 - the statement by Osmanović points out.

I hope that our initiation of the conciliation procedure before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg will lead to the resolution of issues that have long burdened bilateral relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia. Also, the initiation of legal proceedings to protect the interests of Bosnia and Herzegovina also represents the fulfillment of the European Commission's recommendations that Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia resolve the issue of determining their borders in accordance with international law - Osmanović's statement emphasizes.