IDEA OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ELECTING EU NEGOTIATOR - ATTEMPTED OUTVOTING SERB PEOPLE'S WILL

SARAJEVO, OCTOBER 28 /SRNA/ – The initiative for the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly to elect the chief negotiator with the EU is nothing more than official Sarajevo's attempt to outvote the majority will of the Serb people, said the Deputy Chair of the Council of Ministers Staša Košarac.

Košarac notes that, unfortunately, the Republika Srpska opposition has once again fallen into Sarajevo's trap, hoping to gain some position.

"This initiative represents an unconstitutional and unlawful attempt to turn the House of Representatives into the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, to ignore the constitutional powers of the House of Peoples, and to forcibly and through outvoting the Serb majority make the House of Representatives the only decision-making body," Košarac warned.

According to him, this move undermines established practice, contrary to the Stabilization and Association Agreement, and strips the Council of Ministers of its office.

"The Serb minority in the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly accepting such scenario is truly disastrous for Republika Srpska. It's clear that the miserable opposition is trying to position itself, but reality refutes them at every possible step. The way they are now, they won't position themselves even in the next 30 years," emphasized Košarac, who also serves as the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations in the Council of Ministers.

He warns that the Republika Srpska opposition should not, under any circumstances, agree to this insidious Sarajevo play.

"If they allow it, they will make a long-term mistake and cause damage that Sarajevo will use to advance its unitarist ambitions. It is evident that offical Sarajevo intentionally seeks to push the Srpska institutions out of the European integration process, which belongs to all levels of government, especially to the entities, which, according to their constitutional powers, should be the bearers of that process," Košarac said.

He states that if the majority will of the Serb people is outvoted during the voting in the House of Representatives, then those responsible should also take responsibility for the collapse of the European path.

"Let them be held accountable for any possible decision by the Republika Srpska institutions not to accept reforms dictated from Sarajevo by those who want to elect the chief negotiator by outvoting the majority will of the Serb people," Košarac posted on Instagram.

Košarac stressed that Republika Srpska supports the path toward the EU, but not under Sarajevo's terms, only through agreement between the two entities and the three constituent peoples, fully respecting constitutional and Dayton-based competences.