Home Politics Dodik: Blocking the construction of Peljesac Bridge damages Bosnia’s reputation

Dodik: Blocking the construction of Peljesac Bridge damages Bosnia’s reputation

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The parliament of the Bosnian Serb half of the country is discussing whether it will support claims made by the Bosnian Serb member of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency that Bosnia’s possible lawsuit against neighbouring Croatia over the construction of a bridge is detrimental to Bosnian Serb interests.

The bridge is meant to connect the Croatian mainland and the Peljesac Peninsula, bypassing a 15 kilometre-long Bosnian strip around the city of Neum that is located in the bay of the peninsula.

Bosniak political parties oppose the construction of the bridge, saying it might prevent large vessels from entering the country’s bay of Neum and threaten its access to the open sea.

When the Bosniak and Croat members of the country’s presidency agreed to adopt a proposal that could lead to Bosnia suing Croatia over the issue, the Serb Presidency member, Milorad Dodik, said he would not approve the move.

He said he would use the vital entity interest card which would mean that the RS parliament could block the lawsuit if it supports his objections.

Dodik is the leader of the ruling party in the RS.

He argued that the RS is not in favour of “partial solutions” for solving issues with neighbours, “especially when it comes to the state border,” regardless of whether it is a border on the land or the sea.

“Selecting only the issue of the construction of the bridge Komarna-Peljesac, which is located on the territory of the Republic of Croatia, and disregarding other issues such as the Kostajnica border as well as issues regarding the border with the Republic of Serbia and other issues, does not contribute to the development of good neighbourly relations and damages Bosnia and Herzegovina and its entities,” Dodik wrote.

He wrote that the conclusion the Presidency members adopted asks for the halting of an EU-funded project which is being built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation and that such a move represents behaviour “which damages the reputation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its interests.”

If Bosnia’s interest was considered to be threatened regarding the Peljesac Bridge, it would have been necessary to act before the construction began and not when the bridge has already reached the second phase of construction.

Republika Srpska behaves responsibly and is not trying to block projects and cause damage to neighboring countries, contractors and financiers without any valid reason, Dodik argued.

He argued that the conclusion was adopted by his two colleagues on the same day when an agreement for the construction of a bridge on the Sava river near Gradiska was signed with Croatia, and that this “indicates that the damage that is to be produced is not only damage to Croatia, but indirectly aims to jeopardise the bridge project on Sava near Gradiska, which is of vital interest to RS.”

He then called upon RS lawmakers to support his assessment and confirm it within ten days, so that the adopted conclusion does not enter into force.

Croatian Euro Parliamentarian: Bosnian Serb leader is a voice of reason

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik is a voice of reason in the situation regarding Croatia’s Peljesac bridge construction and Bosnia’s claims to open sea, Croatian Euro Parliamentarian Zeljana Zovko told N1 on Wednesday.

“This is blurring of reality. This is what I previously warned about, after the election of the other Bosniak member of Bosnia’s Presidency. There was a disbalance and now we have a Serb member of the Presidency who is its Chairman and is currently the voice of reason, protecting Bosnia’s interests and does not want to put this on the agenda. He also does not want Bosnia to deal with absurd lawsuits that serve to mislead the public,” Zovko said.

The Bosniak and Croat members of the tripartite Presidency agreed on Tuesday that Bosnia should sue Croatia over the construction of a bridge connecting a peninsula to the mainland, but the Serb Presidency member said he vetoed it because it would violate Serb national interests.

Bosnia’s Presidency consists of representative of the countries three constituent peoples, Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats, where the Bosniak and Croat members are elected in Bosnia’s semi-autonomous entity called the Federation, where Bosniaks and Croats make the majority peoples, and the Serb member comes from the country’s other semi-autonomous entity – the Republika Srpska. This entity is mostly populated by Bosnian Serbs.

The Peljesac bridge would thus bypass a 15 kilometre-long strip around the city of Neum that represents Bosnia’s only coast on the Adriatic Sea.

Bosniak political parties oppose the construction of the bridge, saying it might prevent large vessels from entering the country’s bay of Neum and threaten its access to the open sea.

Zovko added that Bosnia would be better off dealing with burning issues.

“Bosnia would be better off dealing with issues of the respect of Constitutional court decisions and their implementation and the formation of the government at all levels, the position of Croats in Bosnia… From personal experience, I know that lawsuits like these and the deception of the public will never materialise and they will only prolong the citizens’ agony, making them look for a better life abroad,” Zovko added.

Commenting on the fact that it was Dodik who vetoed the lawsuit, she said he was always the one who was constructive and Croatia will look for reasonable people like him to further help the people in Bosnia.

Petar Djokic. the leader of the Socialist Party from the RS, where Dodik’s party has the absolute majority, said the Serb leader acted responsibly, adding that Bosnia does not need a lawsuit with Croatia. According to him, it would only complicate the relations between the two countries.

“Had the lawsuit been filed, it would harm the RS and the Serb people. That’s why I consider the move justified and I don’t see a single reason why the bridge construction would not continue. All the more because, through its activities on the construction of a bridge across the Sava river, near Gradiska, Croatia showed it is willing to build relations with Bosnia and solve all the open issues which would incentivise our development,” Djokic said.

Therefore, he argued that Dodik acted responsibly, noting he expects the RS parliament to support this decision.

 

Source: N1

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