Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elmedin Konakovic, said that he got along very well with his counterpart Hakan Fidan and that Fidan was one of the best foreign ministers he knew.
Evaluating Turkey-Bosnia and Herzegovina relations and the latest developments in the Balkans to the AA correspondent, Konakovic said, “Turkey is an important and major political factor in the world. In the Balkans, it can sometimes be a serious mediator because it also has relations with other countries. I have great respect for this.” he said.
Konakovic pointed out that relations with Türkiye should focus on the economic field in the future and stated that they are working to make bilateral relations even more functional.
Emphasizing that he gets along very well with his counterpart Fidan, Konakovic said, “I value him very much. I consult him on some issues. He is extremely serious and one of the best foreign ministers I know.” he said.
Konakovic also stated that he got along very well with former Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.
Reminding that an agreement was reached with Turkey on travel with ID, but the agreement has not yet come into force, Konakovic said, “We would like it to be implemented immediately tomorrow, but the complex structure brought by the Dayton Agreement (which ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992-1995) can make even the smallest decisions difficult.” he said.
Konakovic stated that his country is expected to reintroduce the visa application to 6 countries, including Turkey, during the European Union (EU) membership process, and said, “We do not plan to apply visas to Turkey. I believe that the EU will be understanding in this regard.” he said.
“Vucic has become a big problem in the region”
Evaluating the recent demonstrations in Serbia, one of the countries in the region, Konakovic said, “(Serbian President) Aleksandar Vucic has become a big problem in the region. The stability and leadership expected from him have been replaced by problems.” he said.
Konakovic pointed out that Vucic did not recognize the genocide committed in Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995 and made comparisons with Srebrenica in many of his statements and said, “I am surprised that someone who always talks about respecting international law does not recognize a decision made by international courts.” he said.
Stating that he considered the demonstrations in Serbia as an internal matter, Konakovic emphasized that he did not want to comment on them.
Konakovic argued that the actions of Milorad Dodik, President of the Republika Srpska (RS), one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina known for its separatist rhetoric, were controlled by Russia.
Stating that Dodik and those around him cannot make their own decisions, Konakovic pointed out that Serbian politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina act in line with Russia’s interests.
Konakovic’s assessment of Gaza and Syria
Konakovic said that a similar war that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 90s is happening in Gaza today, and stated that 49 citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina living in Palestine were brought to the country with their families.
Sharing the information that there are still 7 citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Palestine, Konakovic emphasized that we continue to witness the terrible crimes committed by Israel in Gaza.
Konakovic stated that Syria has entered a new era and said, “The overthrow of the Assad regime was celebrated in many countries. The same is true in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We follow the developments in Syria with great attention.” he said.
On the other hand, Anadolu Agency (AA) Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian-Montenegrin (BHSC) News Manager Talha Öztürk gave Konakovic information about AA’s work both in the world and in the region, and explained the war committed by the institution in Israel’s attacks on Gaza. He presented the book “Evidence”, which contains photographs documenting his crimes.
