WITH HIS STATEMENTS, KONAKOVIĆ CALLS FOR GRATER SPLIT IN DIPLOMATIC-CONSULAR NETWORK

SARAJEVO, AUGUST 8 /SRNA/ - Ambassador of BiH in Hungary Biljana Gutić-Bjelica said that the threat of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Council of Ministers Elmedin Konaković to isolate the Serb ambassadors and consuls who supported the President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik is dangerous because it openly calls for an even greater split in the diplomatic-consular network and shows a desire to outvote the Serbs.

Gutić-Bjelica stated that Konaković's statement points out to all the illogicality of the situation in BiH, and that it shows the old aspiration to outvote Serbs in common institutions. She added that it also confirms something that has been clear for a long time, years ago, and to something that the Serb staff constantly warned about, which is the so-called unilateral actions of Bosniaks in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Council of Ministers, but also in other joint institutions, the bypassing of Serbs in decision-making, and the absence of a common and unified foreign policy of BiH. Gutić-Bjelica emphasized that the Serbs were always in favor of dialogue and agreement, but this willingness was almost always interpreted as weakness, pointing out that the country is currently experiencing one of the biggest political crises since the creation of the Dayton BiH. According to Gutić-Bjelica, it would be possible to build a common foreign policy if "one minister-two deputies" rule was again introduced in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which would represent all three constituent people and their representatives in certain positions would confirm with their signature that they agree with some proposal, platform, decision, solution. "However, the current situation of openly ignoring the interests and views of Serb representatives, and the imposition of the Bosniak narrative as the only acceptable one, both in the domestic political arena, where there was talk of some kind of civil BiH, but also on the international stage where the Serbs were portrayed in a negative context - is completely unacceptable for the Serbs," emphasized Gutić-Bjelica. She added that Konaković's statement only serves daily political purposes and to win pre-election points. Konaković said that he cannot sanction, remove or return any ambassador or consul to their headquarters, but that is why he can completely isolate each of them and "prevent harmful influence, together with the employees of the diplomatic-consular network" - which he will do. Serb ambassadors and consuls general of BiH rejected the second-instance verdict of the unconstitutional Court of BiH against the President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik, and stressed that in the future, they will treat it as legally void, unconstitutional and politically motivated with the aim of violently discrediting the legally and legitimately elected President of the Republic.