Finland, Sweden can not join NATO until the electoral law in Bosnia has been changed
ZAGREB, April 26, 2022 – Croatian President Zoran Milanović said on Tuesday that Finland and Sweden could not join NATO before the election laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina were changed.
The Croatian parliament “must not ratify anyone’s accession to NATO” until that law has been changed, he told the press. The accession of Finland and Sweden can be discussed, but it is “a very dangerous adventure”, he added.
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the two countries will next month express their desire to join NATO, their media reported yesterday.
Milanović said he could not formally decide on his own about their accession to NATO but called it “very dangerous charlatanism”.
“For my part, let them join NATO … but until the issue of the electoral law in BiH is resolved, until the Americans, the British, the Germans, if they can and will, force (Bosnian officials)) to change the electoral law for the next six months and give Croats their fundamental rights, Sabor must not ratify anyone’s accession to NATO. “
Milanović said that “we are in a terrible situation” because Bulgaria and Romania can not join Schengen, northern Macedonia and Albania can not open EU accession negotiations and Kosovo has not been recognized, while Finland “can join NATO overnight”.
We only ask that Finland and Sweden “tell the Americans to solve this”, he said. “For me, it is an important national interest for the Croatian state, the nation and the people, that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a functioning state.”
Milanović said that he raised this issue with his French and German counterparts, but that Prime Minister Andrei Plenković, because of his function, had much more room for it. “But he deliberately and cowardly neglects it.”
Asked whether Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina should boycott general elections in October unless the electoral law is changed, Milanović said he did not know at the moment. “It seems to me that the feeling among Croats in BiH is that they should not boycott so as not to question the local government.”
Commenting on the victory of manager Robert Golobs and his party in Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Slovenia, he said that Slovenia had been “left-liberal” for the past 30 years.
Relations between Croatia and Slovenia have been “really good” for the past two years, he said, adding that this was also due to Prime Minister Janeza Janša, who was defeated in Sunday’s vote.
“We have seen that relations between Croatia and Slovenia have been more stable when Janša was in power, but they were also not hostile when the left was in power.”
Tanja Fajon, who Slovenian media say could become the new foreign minister, was previously opposed to Croatia’s accession to Schengen.
“If they want to prevent Croatia’s Schengen entry, okay. Croatia will not fall because of it. They will cause harm to themselves,” Milanović said.
He said Croatia was ready for Schengen as early as 2015, but added that it was “a political decision and torture”. He also criticized the fact that Bulgaria and Romania have not yet joined Schengen, despite having been in the EU since 2007.
“Slovenia will, if it looks at its interests, ask Croatia to join Schengen. If not, it will have to hire another 20,000 police officers,” said Milanović, who will meet with Slovenian President Borut Pahor later today.
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