PETKOVIĆ: KONAKOVIĆ TO PUBLISH TO WHOM AND ON WHAT GROUNDS DIPLOMATIC PASSPORTS WERE ISSUED

SARAJEVO, JULY 22 /SRNA/ - Milan Petković, an MP for United Srpska in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, requested that Elmedin Konaković, the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Council of Ministers, provide detailed data on all diplomatic passports issued from March 2023 to date. Petković cited public reports suggesting that more than 300 such passports have been issued during Konaković's mandate.

During parliamentary questions, Petković stated that since Konaković did not attend the session, he would request a written response.

He specified that he is seeking the following data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

The total number of diplomatic passports issued annually for 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.

The legal basis for their issuance.

The categories of recipients /excluding personal data if legal restrictions apply/.

The number of valid diplomatic passports as of the day the response is submitted.

Petković explained that he is making this request because media reports indicate Konaković has handed out over 300 diplomatic passports during his tenure, whereas his predecessor issued only about 20.

He added that there are even public comments claiming it is "harder to get a Ronaldo sticker than a BiH diplomatic passport," and demanded an explanation of who is entitled to a diplomatic passport and on what grounds it is issued.

"We also saw a post by a boxer who thanked the minister, the deputy minister, and the president of a city board of a political party for receiving a diplomatic passport. The question arises: who is distributing diplomatic passports and on what grounds?" Petković stated.

Additionally, he reiterated his request to Edin Forto, the Minister of Communications and Transport in the Council of Ministers, asking for an update on the initiative to build a bridge over the Sava River between Srbac and Davor and to open a border crossing between BiH and Croatia. Petković emphasized that he has yet to receive an answer to this previously submitted question.