prijava
SARAJEVO, August 29 (FENA) - Three former High Representatives for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Carl Bildt, Paddy Ashdown and Christian Schwarz-Schilling sent an open letter to the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Mrs. Federica Mogherini in connection to the latest developments in the Western Balkans, as well as frequent announcements of "the correction of borders" between Serbia and Kosovo:
As former High Representatives for Bosnia and Herzegovina, we are deeply concerned by announcements made recently by high level officials of the European Union, suggesting that the EU may be willing to support an agreement between Presidents Vučić and Thaci that involves the transfer of territory between Serbia and Kosovo through “border corrections”.
We know the region well enough to know that moving borders like this will not solve divisions, it will deepen them; And although there can be no comparison between the case of Kosovo and the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we know the western Balkans well enough to know that such a policy would be misused by nationalist politicians to further challenge borders and destabilize other countries in the region.
We know Bosnia and Herzegovina well enough to know that this will give comfort and support to those who would break up the country, who are already calling for a return to the status quo ante in Dayton, unraveling all we and our Bosnian partners have worked for over more than two decades; We know the EU and Europe well enough to know that our principles and our bloody history teach us that sustainable peace can only come when we learn to live in multi-ethnic communities, rather than redrawing borders to create mono-ethnic ones; We can in short, think of no policy more likely to lead us back to division and conflict in the Balkans than the one which some are apparently now supporting.
We have little doubt that this risks destabilizing current agreements, such as in Macedonia, undermining the unity of states such as Bosnia, encouraging to those who wish to see exchange of territory elsewhere, such as in Ukraine and is likely to lead to the exodus of minorities from their existing communities.
We therefore urge you to ensure that these proposals are dropped without delay, it is concluded in the letter signed by Bildt, Ashdown and Schwarz Schilling.
(FENA) S. R.
