Bosnia’s FM warns of measures against Serbian embassy staff

Bosnia and Herzegovina Foreign Minister Elmedin Konaković told FENA that the proposal to approve voting by Serbian citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina would not receive the support of Bosniak ministers.

He warned that any attempt to organise voting without the consent of the competent institutions could lead to measures against staff at the Embassy of Serbia in Bosnia and Herzegovina, CE Report quotes FENA.

Konaković said the session had been scheduled in an unusual manner after Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Staša Košarac, asked Council of Ministers Chairwoman Borjana Krišto to submit a document falling under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Tomorrow’s session was scheduled in a strange way. Košarac asked Borjana Krišto to propose a document that falls under my jurisdiction. Voting by Serbian citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Konaković said.

He explained that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had prepared the necessary documentation but had requested that ministers from the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) first unblock around ten items under the ministry’s remit that had allegedly been unjustifiably blocked for months.

These include decisions on purchasing buildings for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s diplomatic and consular network, for which budget funds have already been secured and the necessary procedures completed; appointments of attachés in several European countries; and determining the salary base for employees at Bosnia and Herzegovina’s diplomatic and consular missions.

“We asked them to approve the purchase of buildings for which we had secured budget funds and completed the procedures. They blocked the appointment of several attachés, mostly in European countries, for political reasons, as well as the salary base for employees in the diplomatic and consular network. They are blocking these matters out of sheer spite,” Konaković said.

He stressed that he had proposed unblocking these issues while simultaneously allowing Serbian citizens to vote in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but SNSD representatives had rejected this approach.

“We proposed unblocking all these matters and allowing the vote as well. However, they decided to take a different path. Tomorrow, this item will not have the support of the Bosniak ministers and cannot pass,” Konaković said.

He issued a particular warning about the potential consequences if Serbian authorities decided to organise voting on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina without the required approval.

“We are entering a very dangerous precedent. If Serbia happens to decide to organise elections without the permission of the Council of Ministers or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I have informed the Serbian authorities that, within the scope of my powers, we will send the embassy staff involved back home before the elections,” Konaković said.

Konaković stated that he would insist on compliance with the established procedures and the laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He also expressed surprise that the item had been included on the agenda of the Council of Ministers session, given that Košarac had allegedly known in advance that it would not receive the necessary support.

Explaining why he was insisting on unblocking other items handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Konaković said these were routine matters that had been awaiting approval for months.

He claimed that Bosniak ministers did not block items submitted by other ministries, while SNSD representatives refused to support the appointments of certain attachés, including those in Germany and the Netherlands.

“They vote against the appointments of the attachés in the Netherlands and Germany, as well as the military attaché, because someone voted in favour of the Resolution on the Srebrenica genocide. These are their spite-driven policies. Now we have reached an issue that matters to them. We are simply asking for everything to go through the proper procedures,” Konaković concluded.

The session of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina is scheduled for Tuesday, 20 October, after Košarac requested consideration of a diplomatic note from the Embassy of Serbia seeking approval to organise voting by Serbian citizens on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On 28 September, the Embassy of Serbia submitted a diplomatic note to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning Serbia’s parliamentary elections, scheduled for 25 October, requesting that polling stations be opened on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Košarac previously accused Konaković of obstructing Serbian citizens’ exercise of their voting rights, insisting that the Council of Ministers adopt a decision on the matter.

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