Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Wednesday met with Dragan Čović, Speaker of the House of Peoples of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina, alongside Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman.
Today’s meeting was held after a series of meetings between political stakeholders in BiH and between the Croatian government and representatives of the EU, USA and international community related to election reforms in BiH and the importance of removing anomalies that allow the imposition of political representatives in the highest BiH institutions and the outvoting of Croats as a constituent people.
Plenković stressed that the status of Croats in BiH was a topic of vital interest for Croatia. He underscored Croatia's support for an agreement to be reached between political parties in BiH as soon as possible and for the adoption of amendments to election legislation before the end of the year to ensure full respect for the equality and legitimate representation of the constituent peoples in the BiH Presidency and the highest bodies of representation in the country.
Čović informed Plenković of current events in BiH and the next steps in reaching a final agreement to enable legitimate political representation in government bodies and institutions as stipulated by the country's Constitution and decisions by the Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights.
He opposed all political stakeholders in BiH who advocate keeping the status quo, as it would deepen the existing crisis.
During Wednesday's meeting, it was underscored that the concept of constituent peoples is key to the equality of all three peoples in BiH. It is also the foundation of a constitutional, just and rational election law that would enable the legitimate representation of the constituent peoples in the BiH government and institutions as well as the active and passive voting rights for all BiH citizens. The two officials also expressed expectations that activities by the EU and USA will contribute to a constructive atmosphere in negotiations between political stakeholders to reach a final agreement.
The two officials also discussed the continuation of BiH's journey towards the EU and NATO, the fight against COVID-19 and economic cooperation.
Text: Hina/MFEA