Radončić: The migrant problem in Tuzla will be resolved in the next 15 days

TUZLA, (Patria) - Following a meeting between Jasmin Imamović, Mayor of Tuzla, and Fahrudin Radončić, BiH Minister of Security, a press conference was held, and as highlighted in the past two years, this is the first visit of the state Minister of Security to Tuzla, which is facing a migrant crisis. 

The Mayor of Tuzla thanked Minister Radončić for his visit.  

"He came to Tuzla at a time when we need it most, when this crisis is almost escalating. This is proof that Mr. Radončić does not shy away from problems but confronts them head-on. He goes to the epicenter. I also thank the minister for placing the citizens of BiH, and in this case, the citizens of Tuzla, at the heart of the policy, tactics, and strategy. The citizens of BiH have the right to their security, to a peaceful life, to economic development, and tourism development, and the citizens of BiH have done nothing to cause this global, planetary problem of population movement from two continents. They have done nothing to cause it," said Mayor Imamović. 

Imamović stated that the City Council included a conclusion to allocate 0.2 percent of the budget, which will be realized in the rebalance, to assist the state for the needs of the border police. 

"I propose that the federal budget and all cantonal budgets do the same. Let everyone do it. There are no permanent facilities or facilities in large centers. I informed the minister about the statement of the federal prime minister, Mr. Novalić. That statement is not in favor of protecting the citizens of the FBiH and BiH, but only in favor of migrants, whom he incorrectly calls refugees. Therefore, cities should not be hindered in their normal life and development. If you build a center in Sarajevo, Bihać, Tuzla, Zenica, Mostar, then you prevent the maximum number of people and the maximum number of business entities from living and working normally. If you decentralize and protect the border well, you will not endanger this number of centers. So, I think the prime minister's statement is harmful to Tuzla. The Bukinje mine is across the road, the largest post-war investment of one billion and 600 million. This is a facility that must be maximally secure, we do not know who these people are. We cannot endanger the security of BiH's energy system in this way," emphasized Imamović. 

During his address to the media, Minister Radončić stated that the problem of illegal migrants, who are causing issues in Tuzla with their presence and behavior, will be resolved in the next 15 days.

"I cannot speak further about this for operational reasons. Also, I want to take this opportunity to explain to the public that, as the Minister of Security, I received the support of the entire Council of Ministers at the last session, that what I have been doing and advocating for in the last two months, namely that we cannot be a platform for migrants, that the security of illegal, I repeat, illegal economic migrants cannot be more important to us than our citizens and than BiH, is now the official strategy of the Council of Ministers with which I can address the domestic public and the domestic political factor, and which is very important, towards foreign countries," said Radončić. 

The Minister of Security had already been to Croatia at the beginning of February, and next week he will go to Montenegro, then to Belgrade, and then to Vienna, where he will attend a major conference of interior ministers or security ministers related to migrants.

"It is up to us to lobby for a comprehensive response to the migrant crisis. BiH is in the most difficult geographical position because, in case of large migrant inflows, Serbia can let these migrants through, and they will immediately find themselves in BiH, at the Croatian border. Montenegro can also do this, and we have nowhere to go. This ping-pong with illegal migrants must stop, BiH must send messages that will discourage them. These are people who are closely connected with human traffickers. They know about our conversation today, they call Pakistan amongst themselves. There is no country they are not from, and very few are from Syria. This is a global relocation from one continent to another, where we are the last point and the most difficult point because a bottleneck is created here," stated Radončić. 

He emphasized that he is against the construction of migrant centers.

"Borders will be closed within our capacities, but I tell you that we cannot build centers from former barracks or hard facilities. Because, no matter how many we build, someone from the European Union will ask us 'give, accommodate more migrants'. The European Union must be in solidarity with Bosnia and Herzegovina and defend us equally in the crisis with Turkey as it defends its own countries, instead of having a situation where migrants enter Greece, leave Greece, cross two European Union borders, and before the third in Croatia, they trap our Una-Sana Canton, or Tuzla Canton, or Sarajevo Canton. A strategy must be developed to deter migrants from this route called Bosnia and Herzegovina," said Radončić.

Radončić announced that he will ask his colleagues in Belgrade for Serbia to strengthen the closure of its borders.

"If Serbia strongly closes its borders, which I expect it will, the pressure on the BiH border will be weaker. This is a problem where the state slept for three or four years, and it is a problem that will last for several years or several decades. We cannot solve it overnight in two months, I mean myself and the Ministry of Security, we don't have a magic wand," said the minister. 

Radončić reminded that he was in Banja Luka yesterday, where he had talks with the Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of RS, Dragan Lukač, and the President of SNSD and member of the BiH Presidency, Milorad Dodik.

"Yesterday in RS, I had talks with them, and I think the most important thing is that the EU now understands that there is no goodwill, however much it is a risk for me, for me to say this as a politician, that the citizens of BiH, whether they are Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks, or others, no longer want illegal economic migrants," added the minister. 

He reiterated that he believes the European Union will react responsibly, and Radončić pointed out that the establishment of liaison officers with EUROPOL, which has been pending for years, has also been agreed upon. 

"With EUROPOL, the situation is that I, as the Minister of Security, signed Europol five years ago, that we are the only country that has not managed to establish cooperation between our police agencies and European countries and European people because we had a problem where someone was unable to set up two offices in the Ministry of Security as a contact point, to provide two liaison officers here and in Europe. I think we agreed yesterday to unblock these things. RS, or rather the Ministry of Internal Affairs of RS, would sign this document. Now it was up to the Ministry of Security to agree with four Croatian cantons to accept this. I expect we will do this very successfully," said Radončić.