Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zeljko Komsic, sent a letter to the leaders of the European Union in which he emphasized that the granting of candidate status would strengthen the security and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina, writes Sarajevo Times
He sent the letter to EU Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU High Representative for Security and Foreign Affairs Josep Borell and Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Oliver Varhelyi.
In the letter, Komsic said that Bosnia and Herzegovina in the previous period, fulfilling part of the obligations under the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) concerning the harmonization of our foreign policy with the foreign and security policy of the European Union, joined all EU measures against those attacked Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“I especially want to emphasize that this is the continuity of the position of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2014, which condemns the annexation of Crimea by Russia, which violated the territorial integrity of Ukraine and a direct blow to its sovereignty, together with many other countries, I consider Russia’s dangerous political and military activity unacceptable, especially because such a policy is outside the norms of international public law and its valid acts, such as the United Nations Charter, “Komsic wrote.
He stressed that at this time, when a large country using its military potential is trying to occupy and subjugate a neighbouring country, more than ever we need European unity and a clear signal that the Western Balkans are part of Europe and its unquestionable future members of the EU. This vision of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkans in the European Union is based on the Foreign Policy Strategy of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Having in mind the above, considering that we are all in a situation to look at all future political and security aspects in Europe, I am free to ask you to consider the possibility of granting candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina within the European Union institutions. I am fully aware of how In its Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s application for membership of the European Union, the European Commission highlighted 14 key priorities aimed at bringing the country up to its candidate status and then, following a review of progress, opened the EU’s cluster negotiation process and new methodology. However, if we take into account that the granting of candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina would create a new environment and give another confirmation of the indivisibility and sovereignty of my country, then it would certainly have its positive effects on the overall security and stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina e, and thus the entire region of the Western Balkans “, said Komsic.
The Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina stated that the candidate status does not mean the automatic initiation of the negotiation process. This leaves enough time for the conditions that would enable Bosnia and Herzegovina to enter the process of negotiations with the European Union with quality and without internal blockages, fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria, to be outlined after the review of progress.
“During that period, several reforms should be made to enable Bosnia and Herzegovina to negotiate. Among them are certainly the reform of the Constitution, ie the political system to achieve democratization of society and human rights standards. It is crucial to eliminate all ethnic divisions’ political blockades so that state institutions can perform their reform work quickly and efficiently enough. I take this opportunity to thank you once again for your cooperation and understanding, “said Komsic.
