Serb member and chairperson of the BiH Presidency, Željka Cvijanović, has said yesterday in Budapest that European integration is a strategic commitment of BiH, but that the EU should have a rational approach when it comes to the Balkans.
Cvijanović said that she was grateful to Hungary because it was one of the few countries in the EU that understood the situation and circumstances in BiH and what the best way would be like when talking about European integration.
“European integration was outlined as a strategic commitment and remains so to this day,” Cvijanović said after meeting with Hungarian President, Katalin Novak.
Cvijanović said that BiH had a complex constitutional structure, but that this constitutional structure was not an obstacle if you wanted to work, if there was commitment to it, if there was good cooperation, communication and coordination within BiH, because then it was easy to have good cooperation with others, and in that sense also with Hungary.
Speaking about the documents recently adopted by the European institutions, Cvijanović stated that her personal and political position was that she did not understand the politics of pressure and sanctions.
“The EU should have a rational approach when it comes to the Balkans. Unfortunately, it often does not have that rational approach, especially the understanding of individual problems in our countries, but also collectively, what the burdens are for the entire Western Balkans,” Cvijanović stressed.
According to her, it seems counterproductive and hard to understand granting the candidate status to one country and then calling for sanctions against officials within the country to which you have given candidate status.
“I am not naive and I know that these conditions are never balanced and there is always political autonomy for the EU to make a political decision, even when it sets one condition for some, and for the same thing sets another condition for someone else.
We are fighting to deepen that understanding with the EU and that, instead of waving and warning of sanctions, they deepen the dialogue and their understanding of everything that is happening there,” Cvijanović emphasized.
She said that there were several situations where the EU acted as a firefighter running from fire to fire and none of the fires were extinguished.
“We want the EU to be a solid partner for us and, solving all our burdens, show together with us that it can be done through partnership.
Until that happens, when it comes to the collective EU, we will rely on those countries that have a friendly relationship and that, instead of putting pressure and threats, really want to get to know what the problems are,” Cvijanović pointed out.
She stated that for this reason she said she appreciated Hungary’s position, stressing that there were several other countries that absolutely understood the situation.
“We want the entire EU to understand that dialogue is the solution for everything, and not any kind of pressure. We understand that these are difficult times, there is too much talk about the policy of punishment and sanctions, but better times will come, and I count on that dialogue to be better, and that Hungary will certainly help us in that,” said Serb member and chairperson of the BiH Presidency, Željka Cvijanović.
Serb member and chairwoman of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović and Hungarian President Katalin Novak held a tete-a-tete meeting in Budapest, followed by a delegation meeting.
Today, Cvijanović started her official visit to Hungary with a welcoming ceremony organized by Novak and laying a wreath at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier in Budapest.
During the two-day visit, Cvijanović will also meet with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and in Szentendre with His Eminence Bishop Lukijan of Budim, visit the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as the Serbian Orthodox Museum of the Diocese of Budim.
Source: srna.rs
