Matthew Palmer: Bosnia is a good partner in the fight against radicalisation

N1

Calling Bosnia a ticking time bomb, as French President Emmanuel Macron put it, is insane, US Special Envoy to Western Balkans Matthew Palmer told N1's Amir Zukic on Wednesday evening when asked about the return of the jihadists to Bosnia.

Bosnia is a country with a European future, he said, adding that it is important to work on its future together so that Bosnia can be a partner to anyone dealing with security issues. In this way, the country's institutions will be strong enough to respond to such challenges and they will be strong enough to enable it to make progress on the EU accession path, he said.

Palmer noted that radicalisation is a global problem, and not just something happening in Bosnia. What is important is that everyone fights against it through the exchange of intelligence.

He reiterated that Bosnia is America's a partner in the fight against terrorism and radicalisation, adding that political will exists for further improvement of the capacity of Bosnia's institutions to continue the fight.

Talking about the overall situation in the country, the US Special envoy said that the country's Constitution called the Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia, is not to blame, but that it is the political leaders who are the ones that have to make Bosnia into a functional state.

Palmer also recalled that the US placed the Bosnian Serb leader and the incumbent Serb Presidency member Milorad Dodik on their black-list for undermining Bosnia's Constitution, but that they were not happy about it.

Speaking about the US position regarding Bosnia, Palmer noted that their position is clear – they firmly support its sovereignty and territorial integrity and they will work on strengthening the state institution.

Palmer recalled that Bosnia's official policy is to join NATO which is the country's long-term goal.

The entire interview with US Special Envoy to Western Balkans Matthew Palmet can be viewed in the video above.