Zlatko Lagumdzija, deputy chair of the Council of Ministers and foreign minister of BiH, met in Sarajevo with High Representative Valentin Inzko, and during discussion pointed out that BiH expects a positive message from the April meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.
The topic of discussion was the meetings of the chief BiH diplomat with the foreign ministers of member countries of the EU and other international officials during his stay in Brussels, during which he focused on the new approach of the EU toward BiH.
Lagumdzija stressed that during meetings and discussions with the foreign ministers of Germany, Italy, Greece, Holland, Finland, Bulgaria, and other countries in Brussels, there was more optimism that the EU Foreign Affairs Council would send a clear, positive message when it comes to the EU’s new approach to BiH at its April meeting.
He emphasized that he conveyed the view that a new approach by the EU should open competition in BiH in resolving, rather than describing and creating, problems. In this sense, a new fresh approach should be designed so BiH’s European path, which is at a kind of dead end, is deblocked, after technical negotiations on implementing European standards have been blocked for the past four years, and insistence just on fulfilling political conditions, implementing Sejdic-Finci and establishing an effective coordination mechanism, which have blocked all other processes. The new approach should develop in two parallel directions and aside from fulfilling political conditions, essential constitutional reforms aimed at a more functional state, the implementation of key economic and social reforms, the rule of law, and the systemic fight against corruption and organized crime must be enabled. This would make possible a start to resolving BiH’s real problems among citizens, who are justified in their dissatisfaction expressed in protests across the country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.(TSN)
