STATEMENT by MS. MARINA IVANOVIĆ

DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS

New York, 5 November 2019

Madam President,

I thank the members of the Security Council, the High Representative and the other speakers for their Statements.

Serbia’s position in respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina is widely known, confirmed time and again and not in dispute. So is its position in respect of the Dayton Peace Agreement; after all, Serbia is a guarantor of that Agreement. My country supports Bosnia and Herzegovina as one State, with two Entities, the Republic of Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, just as it supports the decisions taken by that country in accordance with the competencies and agreements of its three constituent peoples – the Serbs, Croats and the Bosniacs.

On many occasions. Serbia expressed its support to a speedy formation of the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina at all levels in accordance with the results of the parliamentary elections held in October 2018, which would make a significant contribution to the stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region. As more than a year has elapsed from the elections, there is no justification for postponing the formation of the institutions any longer, first and foremost of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Council should be constituted without preconditions, on the basis of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the democratic will of its citizens.

Serbia shares the concern of the High Representative over the destabilizing rhetoric in statements of many political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina and calls on all the actors, inside and outside the country, to demonstrate the necessary level of responsibility and restraint from mutual accusations. We are worried, in particular, by the taking of, or the threat to take, one-sided acts contrary to the letter and spirit of the Dayton Agreement. The Agreement, let me recall, is the result of a compromise and reflects a delicate balance, achieved in a very hard way, from among opposing concepts of the constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina; the attempts, therefore, to unbalance the model set up 25 years ago are hardly conducive to this country’s full and lasting stabilization.

Serbia calls on all participants in the political processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as on the representatives of the international community, to demonstrate greater responsibility and restrain themselves from the rhetoric based on the disqualification of other political actors, especially those elected in democratic elections. Dialogue within the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Madam President, is the only way to raise the level of confidence and achieve a compromise solution to the issues relevant for the future development of Bosnia and Herzegovina and, by extension, to the stability of the entire region. As in the past, my country will make a maximum and constructive contribution in this regard.

Bilaterally, Serbia continues to intensify political dialogue with Bosnia and Herzegovina. A number of visits have been exchanged in the past period in the context of my country’s endeavours to promote cooperation with its neighbours, including Bosnia and Herzegovina. The two countries have thus demonstrated their commitment to building bilateral and upgrading regional relations proceeding from European and universal values and based on understanding, compromise and cooperation.

For many years now, Bosnia and Herzegovina has been one of Serbia’s most important foreign-trade partners. From January to September 2019, the trade exchange amounted to over €1.5 billion, which is indicative of the rising trend of the strengthening of economic cooperation between the two countries. With over €1 billion, Serbia is the largest foreign investor in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This cooperation takes place in accordance with Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA). In that context, I would like to point out that the two countries have been affected by the increase, one hundred per cent, of the destabilizing tariffs on their goods by the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Priština. It is a senseless act, contrary to all regional processes and commitments, including CEFTA. The international community is expected to exercise influence on PISGs in Priština to remove the tariffs and normalize trade in the region.

Regional cooperation and European integration, based on stability, democratization, economic development and social prosperity are Serbia’s pre-eminent foreign-policy priorities. Bosnia and Herzegovina is among my country’s key bilateral partners and, in that context, Serbia is firmly committed to the vision of good-neighbourliness.

As the EU candidate country, Serbia renders selfless support to other candidate and potential candidate countries on their reform road towards the European Union. We welcome each and every success of Bosnia and Herzegovina on that road, in line with European Commission’s definition of fourteen priorities that Bosnia and Herzegovina is to achieve in order to open the accession negotiations. In that connection, Serbia is ready to share its experience accrued within its own accession negotiations, in hope that our neighbour, too, will commence the negotiations soon. We believe that, just like with the other aspiring countries in the region, the negotiating process will not be burdened with the ongoing challenges within the European Union and that, contrariwise, the European Union will demonstrate its firm resolve to continue the process by keeping the question of the Western Balkans’ accession high on its agenda.

Serbia is lastingly committed to peace, stability, security and cooperation, regional and international. To that end, it continues to contribute to the strengthening of stability, democratization, economic development and social prosperity, based on the principles of reconciliation, good-neighbourliness, dialogue and compromise. We trust and believe that these can be achieved by way of mutual respect and the exclusion of counter-productive partisan politicking.

Thank you for your attention.