SDA: By agreeing to new gas pipelines, the "Troika" hands over Bosnia and Herzegovina's energy stability to Dodik and Čović

(Patria) - The "Troika's" agreement to the SNSD and HDZ demands for the construction of new East and South interconnection gas pipelines, in a manner that suits these parties, is handing over the monopoly over regulating gas supply and prices to citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially in areas that are the largest consumers and where Bosniaks are the dominant majority, to Milorad Dodik and Dragan Čović, the SDA announced.

"Agreement to implement projects through entity and cantonal companies also represents a complete degradation of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a violation of its international obligations. It would also mean that, in addition to dependence on Russia, BiH would also be dependent on the will of the SNSD and HDZ. The president of NiP, Elmedin Konaković, who today capitulated again to Dodik's demands, has the right to humiliate himself, his party, and his partners with constant concessions and visits to the president of the RS entity, but he does not have the right to place the energy stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the hands of the leaders of the SNSD and HDZ," they stated.

The SDA added that the construction of the "New East Interconnection" gas pipeline, without the adoption of the BiH Gas Law and the formation of a state regulator, would in practice mean that the supply and prices of gas to end consumers in the FBiH would be controlled exclusively by the entity regulator under Dodik's control, and that the return on investment through increased transport tariffs would be paid by Bosniaks in the FBiH.

"The implementation of this project, with the agreement to HDZ's demands that the "South Gas Interconnection" project be implemented by a company from the West Herzegovina Canton, and not BH Gas, gives Dodik and Čović the opportunity to blackmail Bosniaks by controlling gas supply and determining its price. It is obvious that the officials of the "Troika" are also aware of the disastrous consequences of agreeing to the SNSD's and HDZ's demands, given that they requested a postponement of the vote on these projects until the formation of the FBiH Government, so that the justified public anger would not disrupt their plans," the SDA concluded.