Joe Biden's Vision for US-Bosnia Relations

(Patria) - Joe Biden is a proven friend of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the darkest days of its history, as well as during the fight for stability and justice in that country, and understands that it is in America's interest to ensure the path of a whole BiH towards the European Union and NATO, according to an official document of the Biden-Harris presidential campaign.

The document, which is entirely dedicated to US-BiH relations, recalls the vital role Biden played in the 1990s as a senator in preventing genocide, despite resistance to any intervention in the region during those years.

"He played a key role in efforts to change the dynamics on the ground in BiH, and ultimately persuaded US authorities and key European allies to stop Slobodan Milošević's brutal genocide campaign," the document states, recalling that in 2008, Biden received the 'Srebrenica 1995' award precisely for these efforts, N1 reports.

The then-senator, and today one of the two main candidates for US president, visited BiH in the midst of the war in 1993, as well as neighboring Serbia and Croatia.

"He met with Slobodan Milošević, accusing him of committing war crimes, and upon returning to the US, called for the lifting of the arms embargo on BiH and demanded that America lead the West in responding to Serbian aggression," the 'Joe Biden's Vision for America-Bosnia and Herzegovina Relations' states.

He continued to take an interest in the situation in BiH even after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, and visited BiH and the rest of the region for a second time in 2001, after peace was established. Upon returning to the US, he wrote a report which, among other things, emphasized that the Southeast European region is "of essential importance for the security of the entire continent, and therefore for the US."

As Vice President of the US in 2009, he chose Sarajevo as one of the destinations during his official travels, addressing the state Parliament where he said that it is clear that BiH's future lies in Euro-Atlantic integration, but that to achieve this, BiH leadership must do more and overcome ethnic divisions, and work together for the benefit of all its citizens.

The document was published on his Facebook page by Elvir Klempić, who is part of the Democratic Party's presidential candidate Joe Biden's team as the Director of Ethnic Community Relations and Engagement.

During his tenure within the Obama administration, sanctions were imposed on Milorad Dodik, which, as emphasized, sent "a strong message that the US will not tolerate threats to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of BiH."

In its conclusion, the document emphasizes that BiH needs strong US support to succeed, but that "unfortunately, under the presidency of Donald Trump, US influence has faded as this administration has labeled the European Union a strategic rival and questioned the value of the NATO alliance."

"Joe Biden will rally our partners within the EU and NATO to jointly develop a strategy for strengthening the position of the Western Balkans in Euro-Atlantic institutions. Joe Biden knows that it is time for bold and decisive American leadership to foster reforms and reconciliation, and to recommit to our long-promised goal of a whole, free, and peaceful Europe. Joe Biden pledges to always stand against hatred and to support the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and multi-ethnic character of Bosnia and Herzegovina," the official document of the Biden-Harris presidential campaign states.