SERBIAN AMBASSADORS AND CONSULS GENERAL OF BiH EXPLAIN DIPLOMATIC PRINCIPLES TO KONAKOVIĆ

EAST SARAJEVO, MARCH 25 /SRNA/ - Serbian ambassadors and consuls general of BiH say that Elmedin Konaković, the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Council of Ministers, does not respect the Constitution of BiH, as evidenced by him sending instructions to the diplomatic-consular network, avoiding some ambassadors during visits simply because they are Serbs, and sending uncoordinated communication on the international stage.

In an open letter, the Serbian ambassadors and consuls pointed out to Konaković that if he respected the Constitution of BiH, he would never dare to speak a word at any international forum or bilateral meeting without prior agreement with all members, including the Serbian member of the BiH Presidency.

"Unfortunately, you do not respect the Constitution of BiH, and we have seen this through your sending of instructions to the diplomatic-consular network, avoiding ambassadors during your visits simply because they are Serbs, sending protest notes to states with which BiH has bilateral relations without having the authority, sending uncoordinated communication on the international level, and many other examples," said the Serbian ambassadors and consuls general of BiH.

The letter also emphasizes that, according to the Constitution, the President of Republika Srpska nominates BiH ambassadors from Republika Srpska and, along with the Serbian member of the BiH Presidency, has an active role in communication with Serbian ambassadors and consuls general of BiH.

"As you may have noticed, President Milorad Dodik moves freely and does not hide his location, so we see no basis for the claim that he is on the run," the open letter says.

SRNA conveys the open letter from Serbian ambassadors and consuls general of BiH addressed to Konaković in its entirety:

"We have received your instructions for action dated March 20, in which you stated several, to say the least, inaccurate and disputable elements.

Given that you lack basic knowledge, allow us to inform you of the principles of this profession.

First and foremost, the Serbian member and Chairwoman of the BiH Presidency, Željka Cvijanović, is your superior, and you should respect that. Therefore, her communication with appointed ambassadors cannot be considered an 'illegal form' of communication, as you claim, but rather a regular activity in line with the practice established by the two Bosniak members of the BiH Presidency, which we have explained in an open letter addressed to them.

The second element concerns the signatories of the act referenced in your instruction.

Labeling legitimately and legally elected representatives of the Serbian people as an 'organized separatist group attempting a coup d'etat' reflects your political impotence, lack of understanding of this profession, and personal malice.

Your attempt to present yourself as an important political figure in BiH capable of threatening and harming Serbian state officials through intimidation is nothing but dilettantism and political incompetence.

According to our Constitution, the President of Republika Srpska nominates BiH ambassadors from Republika Srpska, and together with the Serbian member of the BiH Presidency, plays a significant role in communication with us - Serbian ambassadors and general consuls of BiH.

Secondly, referring to the President of Republika Srpska as a 'fugitive' in an official document of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reflects your bias.

As you may have noticed, President Milorad Dodik moves freely and does not conceal his location, so we see no basis for your claim that he is in hiding.

The fact that certain unconstitutional institutions of BiH cannot establish contact with President Dodik is simply a new reality that you will have to gradually get used to, as you are certainly not a political factor capable of changing that.

Furthermore, publicly accusing the Chairwoman of the BiH Presidency and the President of Republika Srpska of alleged illegal actions reflects not only excessive malice but also a lack of the knowledge that would benefit you in the political arena, particularly in performing the role of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In the legal system, there is a principle known as the presumption of innocence, meaning that even if such alleged actions existed, only a final court verdict could establish guilt, not your official notes.

This principle is also beneficial to you, as it protects you from media reports regarding your alleged connections with certain Edin Gačanin, involvement in the drug cartel schemes of Europol, your ties to criminal activities of your godfather Memija, the failure of the Summit of Western Balkans leaders and the EU in Neum due to your alleged influence in arranging business for your goddaughter, etc.

The presumption of innocence shields you from all these reports, and at the very least, you could exercise caution when publicly passing judgment on someone without any grounds.

Dear Minister, your foreign policy role is solely tied to the instructions of the Presidency of BiH and its constitutional position in conducting foreign policy and representing BiH in international and European organizations.

If you respected the Constitution of BiH, you would never dare to say a word at an international forum or bilateral meeting without first coordinating it with all members, including the Serbian member of the Presidency of BiH.

Unfortunately, you do not respect the Constitution of BiH, and we have seen this through your sending of instructions to the diplomatic-consular network, avoiding ambassadors during your visits simply because they are Serbs, sending protest notes to countries with which BiH has bilateral relations even though you are not authorized, uncoordinated communication on the international level, and many other examples.

When you spoke earlier this month with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, Hakan Fidan, you did not have the mandate to present political views that had not been coordinated with the Presidency of BiH, but you did have the obligation to ask him whether war criminal Sakib Mahmuljin, who has been convicted in BiH and is on the international wanted list, is hiding in his country.

You see, the convicted commander of the Third Corps of the so-called Army of BiH is most likely hiding in Turkey, but you did not raise this issue in your conversation with your Turkish counterpart, which reflects your stance.

We, the Serbian ambassadors and general consuls of BiH, will strive to convey to the European Union and its member states the impression that you may not be advocating for European values as you claim and that you have no issue with the escape of convicted war criminals.

At the end, you decided to conceal your lack of capacity by threatening Serbian state employees working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

If your colleagues have not informed you earlier, all civil servants assigned to the diplomatic and consular network are accountable for their work solely to the ambassadors and general consuls of BiH, who, in turn, are accountable for their work to the Presidency of BiH.

It is clear from this that your position is limited exclusively to the administrative and technical part of managing the diplomatic and consular network, except when you receive an agreed foreign policy directive from the Presidency of BiH, to which we are all obliged to adhere.

Instead of sending futile instructions, we suggest you familiarize yourself with the powers of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Constitution of BiH, and diplomatic practice, so that you can act correctly, at least towards the end of your term."

The signatories of the open letter from Serbian ambassadors and consuls general of BiH are:

Aleksandar Bogdanić, Aleksandar Vranješ, Aleksandra Mičić, Biljana Gutić Bjelica, Bojan Vujić, Bojan Đokić, Bojana Kondić Panić, Boro Bronza, Vera Sajić, Dragan Vuković, Dragan Jaćimović, Duško Kovačević, Željko Samardžija, Koviljka Špirić, Milorad Živković, Obrad Kesić, Siniša Bencun, Siniša Berjan, and Tatjana Telić.