INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS SHOW HOW MUCH DISAGREEMENT EXISTS WITHIN BiH

DURRES, OCTOBER 6 /SRNA/ – The Serb member of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović has stated today that during the Brdo-Brioni Process leaders' meeting in Durres, that while it is nice for regional leaders to meet and act like friends, real life often denies it as shown by developments in the international arena, which highlight how deep the disagreements on important issues are within BiH.

Cvijanović said that during the meeting, she pointed to the practice that used to exist in BiH where agreements were first reached internally, after which the position presented on the international stage was aligned. "But now, that is no longer possible, we've essentially killed off that great opportunity. That practice has been eroded over the years, and today I openly said that the three of us /in the Presidency/ have different views on certain issues, and it's fine to say it in that manner," Cvijanović told SRNA. She mentioned that some EU member states like Belgium, have strong coordination mechanisms where internal agreements are reached before positions are represented in bodies such as the EU Council of Ministers. "We've missed that opportunity, and that's why things are the way they are today," Cvijanović emphasized. Commenting on the Brdo-Brioni Process summit, Cvijanović described it as successful, saying it offered a platform to address certain problems and irregularities. "The host, Albanian President Bajram Begaj, guided us toward dialogue, which is the approach I agree with," she said. According to her, topics were framed in a way that aimed to contribute to regional cooperation, which all participants agreed on. "Another key topic was progress toward EU membership, European integrations, and completing certain obligations. These themes allow opportunity for each country to express agreements and disagreements, recognise potential problems or traps or what are inconsistencies in the behaviour of both our institutions on one hand and where we strive to go to, i.e. the EU on another," she added. She noted that different views were voiced during the meeting, but that such formats offer a good opportunity to send messages of cooperation, as well as to let participants vent frustrations over certain irrationalities they face. "I pointed out that if we're talking about regional cooperation and being true partners, and if we say we shouldn't take sides, then practice often contradicts that, as we frequently see people taking sides and commenting on matters they know little about. You'll hear claims that certain things have been signed when we all know they haven't and they don't even exist as legal instruments, which will be dictating certain matters such as the Bonn Powers," the Serb BiH Presidency member stressed. She said her address aimed to clarify certain issues and eliminate dilemmas. She believes that BiH's EU path has taken too long, questioning its purpose and whether BiH is genuinely encouraged on this journey. "Have other countries in the region been given priority while we haven't? These are all questions that need to be discussed," she said. Speaking about the adopted Declaration reaffirming support for EU integration, Cvijanović said these are standard documents that express general positions related to the summit's agenda. "Whatever topic you raise, we always come back to the basic issues, what we agree on and what we don't. That's how it is and that's political reality," Cvijanović concluded.