Plenković: It's nice to be in Sarajevo again, my visit and the opening of the highway and bridge coincide by chance

(Patria) - Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borjana Krišto and Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia Andrej Plenković held a press conference after today's meeting.

Krišto pointed out that Plenković is a proven friend of BiH and thanked him for everything he does for BiH and its European path.

"At today's meeting, I informed Plenković about the current situation, where we are today, what awaits us. I informed him that the institutions of the Council of Ministers are doing their job, that we had certain pauses and that we find ourselves in a situation ahead of the local elections, and before every election we have a situation where pre-campaigns are being conducted and we are entering the official campaign. And in that context, decision-making is made difficult, almost impossible," said Krišto.

She pointed out that obligations on the EU path await them, that a certain number of laws are quite harmonized, such as the law on the court, the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, personal data protection, border control, and that the Election Law burdens relations and circumstances in BiH.

"All of this we need to do in accordance with the constitutional structure as a state of three constituent peoples through the election of legitimate representatives. What awaits us by the end of this year, I hope we will make some progress.

When it comes to the Growth Plan, we have not reached agreement on those reforms. I share the view that the opposition used this as a political settling of scores. I am conducting talks with the cantonal prime ministers to see if we can reach certain solutions to achieve something that is our common interest," she said.

She emphasized that the Government of the Republic of Croatia, through its institutions and people, is putting itself in a position to help BiH so that we can fulfill our obligations.

"I believe that in this mandate period we will continue to intensify relations between the Republic of Croatia and BiH, as well as on BiH's European path," she added.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Plenković, emphasized that it is nice to be in Sarajevo again after his visit in January.

"It is good that after this election cycle in Croatia, with a new mandate, we chose Sarajevo for the first working bilateral visit to send a message about the importance of our relations, to resolve open issues," he said.

He welcomed the opening of accession negotiations between BiH and the EU.

"In order to operationally assist this phase, BiH and Croatia signed a partnership agreement, and a meeting was held, and our experts will be at your disposal to provide knowledge transfer and assistance. We want to continue implementing the conclusions from the last session of the two governments. We want to hold a new joint session next year," he said.

He pointed out that this year they expect trade exchange of around 3.7 billion euros.

"We also cooperate on the issue of illegal migrations. This topic is changing the political architecture. We must put a stop to illegal migrations when it comes to routes leading to the EU," he said.

He added that Croatia respects all three constituent peoples and on that basis we build our friendly relations.

"We believe that the Election Law is key for the quality functioning of BiH's institutions and that all three peoples should be fully equal and that the practice that began in 2006 is not good, in which Croats feel discriminated against and subordinate. Such a situation is harmful and unsustainable. Our position here is clear and we want to take a step forward," said the Croatian Prime Minister.

Krišto said that decisions are made by consensus, respecting the structure of BiH at the state, entity, and cantonal levels.

"We cannot exclude anyone. Do not raise tensions that further complicate relations. Let's seek solutions to harmonize the agenda and send it to the EU. I call on everyone to be responsible in the interest of BiH. I am also talking with four cantons, pointing out that there is no political damage because the only damage would be not to withdraw the first tranche of funds from the EU," said Krišto.

Plenković rejected the criticisms directed at him regarding the opening of the highway from Počitelj to Zvirovići.

"The opening of the highway and my visit coincide by chance. That kind of politicization of something that is purely a gesture at the invitation of the host is inappropriate. Especially since it is a joint corridor. We also look forward to this section in BiH. My congratulations to the investor. If the situation were reversed, I would be happy," said Plenković.

Responding to one of the questions regarding EU sanctions against Milorad Dodik, Plenković emphasized that the EU is not considering sanctions.

"What is important to us is that BiH moves towards the EU and that any separatist tendencies are prevented, we want good cooperation between the two entities and for Croats to feel good in BiH," said Plenković.

Speaking about the Southern Interconnection, he said that it must be a matter of internal agreement.