Should the migrant crisis be handled by Turković and the Minister of Agriculture?

(Patria) - The Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH, Bisera Turković, visited Bihać on Tuesday, where she held a meeting with Mayor Šuhret Fazlić and toured the airport under construction.

Turković was not alone. She was accompanied by her party colleague Šemsudin Dedić, who is a native of Bihać. The official statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that Dedić was acting in his capacity as the Minister of Agriculture, Water Management, and Forestry of the FBiH, although it would have been more appropriate for Dedić to be in the capacity of a state representative, especially considering the discussions about the migrant crisis. According to available information, there were no discussions about agricultural projects.

"Discussions were held about the migrant crisis, which has most affected this part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the problems that some migrants are causing in Bihać. Minister Turković stated that the migrant crisis is a problem for the entire country, and that additional efforts are needed to resolve this issue, and especially to reduce the pressure on Bihać and other municipalities in Krajina. Mayor Fazlić said that it is important for Bihać that Bosnia and Herzegovina makes greater efforts to return migrants to their home countries. At the meeting, Minister Turković was asked to help facilitate movement through the Izačić and Bosanski Novi border crossings. It was stated that tourists visiting Croatia are staying overnight in Bihać, and it is necessary to reduce their waiting times at the border, as well as the waiting times for residents of Krajina from abroad who are visiting their homeland," the statement reads.

Although these are important issues for the country, it might have been more appropriate to delegate them to the Minister of Security of BiH, Selmo Cikotić, who was accompanied by Minister Dedić during his recent visit to Krajina. Neither then nor now is the purpose of Dedić's presence clear, unless we consider it in the context of party colleagues supporting each other. 

During the tour of the site where the Bihać airport is being built, Turković stated that she "will lobby for assistance in the construction of the airport in Bosnia and Herzegovina and around the world."

It is commendable that Turković is visiting other cities, but it would certainly be more beneficial if she focused on the reputation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the world, which even our neighbors (closer and further) are trying to damage with fabricated reports about the security situation, as well as lobbying for a solution to the migrant crisis, which will soon become more complicated due to the lack of accommodation capacity for migrants.