Austrian ambassador on referendum: Tomorrow, I would first ask myself who is rich and who is poor

All those who create the atmosphere of nationalism, raise tensions in BiH, and who cling on to the rhetoric of war and divisions, undermine the interests of their own people, as well as everbody else's. It is due to those exact things that the economy cannot advance through new investments, Martin Pammer, the Austrian ambassador to BiH, said in a statement for Patria.

The referendum in Republika Srpska has attracted a great deal of negative publicity within the international public.

The Constitutional Court of BiH has pronounced the marking of 9 January as the Day of RS – nonconstitutional as it discriminates two other peoples in the RS. The government in Banja Luka refused to accept the court decision, which has triggered Milorad Dodik's initiative and decision to call a referendum. The other decision of the court was to ban the announced referendum, yet the RS government has opposed the decision.

Ambassador Pammer evaluated the situation as 'serious' because the RS government, by calling referendum, questions Dayton Peace Accord and its framework of BH administration, and that can endanger the economic stability of the country.

Pammer thinks that BH citizens ought to know what the most important reforms are for them as well as the progress towards EU integration. The referendum, its topic/question are the things related to the past and wartime. Thus they are not good, and not future oriented.

- If you could do away with such issues, the country would see a lot more progress and investments, not only from Austria, which is the investor no 1 in BiH, but also from other countries, Pammer explained.

Ambassador Pammer reiterated that constitutional court is the highest instance in all countries around the world, whether we like its decisions or not. 'If you don't respect the constitutional court, you are outside of legal framework'.