Minister Grlić Radman delivers lecture on “25 Years of Dayton” at Mostar University

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Monday delivered a lecture on “25 Years of Dayton” at Mostar University

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Monday delivered a lecture on “25 Years of Dayton” at Mostar University. The minister underscored that the Dayton Agreement had ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and laid the groundwork on which the country has been functioning for the past 25 years. He added, however, that it had left a number of issues unresolved, and that subsequent amendments and interpretations in many ways had degraded and distorted the letter and spirit of the Dayton Agreement as well as the preceding Washington Agreement.

“Croats gave up the Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, whose territory they had defended in a war of self-preservation, because they believed these two agreements would guarantee full equality with the other two constituent peoples, giving the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina a perspective of democratic and economic growth and prosperity. However, over time, Croats started to lose faith in the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as their legal right to elect their own political representatives became more and more obstructed,” Grlić Radman said.

The minister underlined the key role played by international actors, namely the US, in negotiating and signing the Dayton Agreement. “Even the Bosnian Serbs, as objectively the strongest force in the field with the most outside support, haven’t been able to prevent a solution imposed against their ambitions,” he said.

In addition, Grlić Radman highlighted the importance of diplomacy and international mediation, the role of international organizations such as the UN and EU, as well as less formal bodies and individual international mediators. “It is good to bear that in mind nowadays, when Bosnia and Herzegovina is witnessing processes that could lead to revisionism or even abandoning the Dayton concept altogether in favour of complete different solutions,” he said.

Concluding his lecture, Grlić Radman said that the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina hinged on an agreement between Croats, Bosniaks and Serbs, and that the political leaders of all three peoples should agree on the future of the country, while the extant Electoral Law was detrimental to Croats and should be changed. “Croatia strongly supports the implementation of all the Constituent Court’s rulings and changes to the Electoral Law that would guarantee that all three peoples elect their own representatives at all levels of government. We want the letter and spirit of the Dayton Agreement to be respected,” the minister emphasized.

Ahead of the lecture, Grlić Radman met with the management of Mostar University headed by Rector Zoran Tomić, discussing Croatia’s further cooperation with and support for the university’s development and future.

 

Press releases