ZAGREB, October 19, 2018 – Bosnian Council of Ministers Chairman Denis Zvizdić on Friday accused Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković of meddling in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) internal affairs and asked him to stop, saying he was undermining the good neighbourly relations between the two countries.
The outgoing Bosnian prime minister said in a press release he saw Plenković’s recent statements in European Union bodies and during bilateral meetings as “an attempt of a paternalistic treatment” of BiH.
“Abusing Croatia’s EU membership, Plenković acts as if he was the prime minister of BiH and not Croatia, which is not in line with good neighbourly relations and represents open and direct meddling in BiH’s internal affairs on Croatia’s part,” Zvizdić said.
He was alluding to Plenković’s comments about the outcome of recent general elections in BiH, including the assessment that the election of Željko Komšić as the Croat member of the BiH Presidency despite the will of a majority of ethnic Croats had undermined the spirit of the Dayton agreement, which ended the war in BiH in 1995.
Zvizdić said Plenković “is trying to institutionally establish incorrect, selective and confused theories about the threat to only one people in BiH.” “I am certain Plenković knows that, in line with the BiH Constitution, Bosniaks, Serbis and Croats are equal and constituent throughout BiH’s territory and that not even one decision which is contrary to the democratic will of elected or appointed representatives of any people can be adopted, due to numerous protection mechanisms, at any institution at BiH level, the Presidency, the Parliament and the Council of Ministers,” said Zvizdić.
He was elected to the BiH Parliament’s House of Representatives in October 7 polls, winning more than 37,000 votes, the most among the candidates of the Bosniak Party of Democratic Action.
Zvizdić said that thanks to the “level of tolerance shown by the Bosniak people in particular,” parity of ethnic representation had now almost been established at state level leading positions. He said Croats, which account for 15.43% of the population, held almost 30% of leading positions.
“That entirely refutes any theory about inequality,” he said, adding that BiH’s constitutional and political system, in which the ethnic principle overpowers the civil principle, is not in line with European and democratic standards. He said all representatives of foreign countries, European and international institutions were informed about that.
