No one in the European Union advocates the disintegration of Bosnia and Herzegovina and everyone, including Croatia, wants to help the country's integration into the Union as soon as possible, Croatia's Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said in Sarajevo on Thursday.
At the end of his two-day official visit to that country, Grlić Radman met separately for talks with Prime Minister Zoran Tegeltija, and senior parliamentary officials, Democratic Action Party (SDA) leader Bakir Izetbegović, who chairs the House of Peoples, and Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ BiH) leader Dragan Čović, who is Izetbegović's deputy in the house.
After the talks, Grlić Radman told reporters that the agenda included a non-paper that Croatia had previously sent to the EU Foreign Affairs Council aimed at accelerating BiH's EU integration.
The talks on the document proved that Croatia respects BiH and wishes to open room for the non-paper to be improved and thus make the debate that will most likely be held in the EU Foreign Affairs Council in May, more productive.
Grlić Radman underscored that Croatia's position in relation to BiH is clear and that it fully recognises BiH as a country comprised of two entities and three constituent and equal peoples.
"We strongly support the need to amend the election law and remove any inequalities that exist," said Grlić Radman, adding that the BiH officials agreed that the election law has to be changed and cooperation within the country improved.
Asked whether it was true or not that some EU countries support the idea of a "peaceful breakup" of BiH, Grlić Radman explicitly said that something like that certainly does not exist in the EU.
"The entire EU and all of its member states respect international law, just like Croatia, which means the territorial integrity and sovereignty of BiH as a state," said Grlić Radman, adding that any other claims are mere speculation.
He said that the EU's policy is focused on an affirmative approach to BiH, which is contained in Croatia's non-paper. He added that Croatia is and remains BiH's advocate in the EU structures and that it wants that country to be more strongly represented in talks within various bodies in the Union.
"We can do a lot here to help," said Grlić Radman.
Before the talks with the representatives of the executive and legislative authorities, Glić Radman met separately with US Ambassador Eric Nelson and the head of the EU Delegation, Johann Sattler. Both officials later tweeted that they dedicate special attention to changes to the election law in BiH and that that was an important topic of discussion with Croatia's foreign minister.
Sattler recalled that the Union's opinion as a roadmap provides BiH with a chance to move forward and hold "freer and fairer elections in 2022."
Grlić Radman then visited Kreševo with a population of almost 5,000 residents, 80% of whom are Croats.
There the minister met with local officials and entrepreneurs, and visited the museum of the Franciscan Monastery of St. Catherine, displaying the long history of this area marked by mining and metallurgy. The vault of the monastery holds a large number of chalices, monstrances, censers and candleholders, mostly gold-plated silver, some of which date back to 15th century.
One of the Kreševo monks was Father Grgo Martić, a renowned Croatian writer and enlightener, to whom a memorial room is dedicated.
Text: Hina/MFEA