Because of what happened in Srebrenica, the international community has an obligation to help BiH

It is still too early to make any assessments of the election process for the new Secretary-General of the United Nations.

However, the fact that the Eastern European electoral group within the UN is the only regional electoral group that has not yet had a UN Secretary-General justifies the great attention being paid to potential candidates for this position from our regional electoral group – said Danilo Tirk, former President of Slovenia and one of the most serious candidates for the new UN Secretary-General to be elected in the summer of 2016, in an exclusive interview for the BiH news agency Patria (NAP).

The UN Secretary-General is elected according to geographical groups, which are Western Europe and Others. Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Asia-Pacific group, and the African group.

Besides Tirk, media have previously announced that among the candidates for the UN Secretary-General, who will succeed Ban Ki-moon, are the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia, Miroslav Lajčák, who was also one of the High Representatives in BiH.

The media also mention the former head of Serbian diplomacy, Vuk Jeremić, the head of Croatian diplomacy, Vesna Pusić, but also some other diplomats, for the position of the new Secretary-General.

The announcement that Danilo Tirk will be one of the candidates for UN Secretary-General has certainly attracted the most attention from the public in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Slovenia is a great friend of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has done a lot to improve the socio-economic situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Tirk himself, both when he was its president and afterwards, has done a lot for BiH.

- BiH is still a country today that needs international attention and cooperation, which should contribute to the further stabilization and acceleration of the country's development – said Tirk, adding that political stability and economic progress in every country, including BiH, are closely linked.

- At this moment, support should be given to the newly formed government and dialogue with the European Union, which has a special responsibility towards Bosnia and Herzegovina, should be deepened.

The UN Security Council periodically reviews reports on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and other agencies are active.

In my opinion, the UN Secretary-General must closely follow developments in the Balkan region in order to stimulate the activities of the bodies and organizations of the UN system in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to provide suggestions to regional organizations and individual countries in the region. Visits by the Secretary-General to the region will continue to be necessary.

Tirk recalled that this year marks the second decade since the grave crime – the genocide in Srebrenica. This tragic circumstance, believes the former Slovenian president, is a reason for serious reflection on the grave mistakes of international policy in relation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as for seeking answers to the question of how to move forward, writes the news agency Patria.