Željko Komšić: Open Letter to Chinese Ambassador to BiH

(Patria) - President of the Democratic Front (DF) and candidate for member of the BiH Presidency Željko Komšić sent an open letter to the Chinese Ambassador to BiH Chen Bo, after Croatian authorities announced that a Chinese company would build the Pelješac Bridge in the Mali Ston Bay, thereby restricting Bosnia and Herzegovina's access to open waters.

In the open letter, Komšić states: „Your Excellency, I am addressing you regarding the fact that Croatia, on its own, without agreement with BiH, has begun building the Pelješac Bridge. The contractor is your Chinese construction corporation, and therefore I inform you that we will have to seek our rights before international courts. Your country has, on numerous occasions so far, generously helped Bosnia and Herzegovina. We consider you a sincere friend and hope you will understand our actions.“

In the letter, Komšić highlighted some of the most important parts of the legal and political activities that Bosnia and Herzegovina has undertaken to prevent, as he said, „these absurd situations.“ The BiH Presidency, at the 11th session of the Interstate Council for Cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia, held on March 3, 2007, presented an official position against the construction of the bridge. The President of the Republic of Croatia and the Prime Minister were duly informed. Komšić notes that at that time he was a member of the BiH Presidency and is well aware that the reaction from BiH was then received with understanding in Croatia. In 2014, the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted a Decision on the appointment of a Joint Team for negotiations with the Republic of Croatia on the application of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and maritime delimitation. The talks, Komšić states in the letter, never even began, „because the Republic of Croatia did not want them.“

The President of the DF also notes that Croatia never wanted to discuss the delimitation and identification of the maritime border line between the two states. On September 13, 2017, at a session of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Declaration on the Pelješac Bridge was adopted, supported by a large majority of parliamentary parties, opposing its construction.

On September 29, 2017, the Director General of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, Marc Lemaitre, called on the Republic of Croatia to resolve open issues with Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding the construction of the bridge to Pelješac and to refrain from taking any activities that would result in the European Union being drawn into legal and financial obligations due to lawsuits initiated by a third party. Unfortunately, Komšić states in the letter to Ambassador Bo, Croatia did not respond to any request and did not consider any demand from BiH.

„We are forced to seek our justice in international judicial institutions,“ said the President of the DF.

„Regardless of everything, I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate you on the 91st anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army of China, hoping that China will remain committed to preserving world peace,“ concludes Željko Komšić in the open letter to the Chinese Ambassador to BiH.