In the conversation, he highlighted the worrisome attempts to undermine the country’s constitutional order, stressed the importance of the rule of law and the systemic fight against corruption, and referred to the importance of implementing the Southern Interconnection project.
The ambassador called for the responsible action of all political actors in order to ensure the stability and prosperity of BiH in accordance with European values.
When asked how he views the possibility of the reconstruction of government at the state level and the possible expulsion of the SNSD from the coalition due to blocking BiH’s path to the EU, Murphy said that he did not want to speculate.
“A lot of work needs to be done in Bosnia and Herzegovina if you want to open negotiations with the EU and move forward in that direction. Fundamental reforms, strengthening of democracy and an economic policy that will enable economic growth in the private sector are needed. This cannot be done if the government is blocked. Politicians they need to do their job, and the citizens suffer the consequences when the politicians don’t come to work and do it. As for the future of this country, it is at risk if they don’t come to work. I don’t think SNSD should block the government, that’s wrong, but no party should not use blockades as a means of narrow political interests. Politicians should think about the country as a whole, focus on the job for which they were elected”; said Murphy for Voice of America.
In the previous period, an indictment was brought against the former director of OSA Osman Mehmedagić, the state security minister Nenad Nešić was arrested and new prosecutions were announced for corruption, but BiH is still without reform laws against corruption.
“Corruption is a big problem in BiH, at the state level, in Republika Srpska, FBiH, cantons, municipalities, and it is a threat to the future of the country and its democracy. It is a threat to economic prosperity, because no reputable foreign investor will invest money in the country, establish company, to create new jobs, if he thinks that a corrupt politician will steal from him. with corruption and that’s a problem. It’s not enough to just pass the law, you have to implement it, and the law enforcement institutions have not functioned at the level we would like them to function, and that has an impact on the citizens. When a law is passed to fight corruption or strengthen governance laws, international standards must be met without diluting. Judges and prosecutors are needed, and we are working to make these institutions stronger through training, capacity building, mentoring… We were very conscientious and reacted quickly when we saw anti-Dayton, corrupt or other destabilizing action in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the introduction of sanctions in the first place,” said Murphy.
At the end of the year, sanctions were introduced against the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Staša Košarc, and additional sanctions were extended for persons associated with the president of the Republika Srpska entity, Milorad Dodik.
Will there be new sanctions this year and what will they mean?
“I will not speculate on future sanctions, but the US is dedicated and committed to using all means at its disposal, including sanctions against individuals and companies responsible for anti-Dayton behavior and corruption,” Murphy said.
Does the United States have a plan to prevent the unconstitutional actions of politicians from the RS?
“We want to see Bosnia and Herzegovina integrated into the EU institutions, and at the same time we want efficient and effective government at all levels. We were clear when we said that we would speak out and speak out when we see that our interests are being attacked and threatened. Three years ago when I met with all political leaders in the country and told them that our opinions will be bypassed, but if they attack the territorial integrity, sovereignty or multi-ethnic character of BiH, the US will use all means to protect those interests. This is exactly what we did through the previous three sanctions And you can expect a sequel”; Murphy said.
Who should have prevented the celebration of the unconstitutional day of the RS, January 9, and why have the organizers of the event not been heard yet?
“The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has twice ruled that the celebration of RS Day on January 9 is unconstitutional. This is not my opinion, these are facts and laws. The Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina says that the entities must abide by and implement the decisions of the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the final ones. binding decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. If they do not do so, it is a violation of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina. You can expect the US to continue to use that tool in response to the anti-Dayton actions. Domestic actors should react to anti-constitutional actions and the state prosecutor should act aggressively and quickly, open investigations against persons who violated the constitution or refused to implement the decisions of the BiH Constitutional Court it’s not just about RS, but also about state property and other issues. If they have evidence, they should call these individuals to court, prove them and punish them. The US would like to see the institutions that deal with the rule of law do more business. This has not been the case until now. Decisions of the Constitutional Court cannot remain unimplemented or violated by any level of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Murphy.
He was asked how he evaluates the work of the courts and prosecutor’s offices in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“The US supports independent and strong judicial institutions that work for the benefit and on behalf of the citizens of this country. We try to help the institutions to be successful. We want to provide people in the institutions with additional training, mentoring, exchange of experts, organizing workshops and help in drafting regulations. All this It helps them to do their job better. We also used sanctions. Several prosecutors are on the sanctioned list. Do I or the US think that there has been enough progress when it comes to the fight against corruption from law enforcement institutions – there has been some progress, but more is needed. When I travel around BiH, citizens always tell me the same thing – corruption and the rule of law are a problem. They want to see that all levels of government they deal more with these problems,” said the American ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Murphy also spoke about the adoption of the Southern Interconnection Act.
“The US has been supporting the Southern Interconnection project since 2017 and the first Trump administration, it was one of his priorities. The US Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina has energy experts who helped draft the law when SDA and HDZ were in a coalition and worked on it for the law to come to parliament in 2021 before the problem with obstructions started.
When Russia has a monopoly on energy supplies, it will seek to abuse it through political or economic blackmail. We do not want BiH as our partner to be exposed to that. This is not unique to BiH, it happens in other parts of Europe as well.
In this geopolitical moment, I think it is imperative that this change and that politicians recognize this. This law also brings economic benefits to BiH. Large infrastructure projects are essential for new jobs, as access to safe and reliable sources of energy helps companies grow in the long term.
I think that progress has been made with the Southern Interconnection in recent weeks, and the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament deserves praise for adopting the law that was drafted a few years ago. There is also a set of conclusions that require BH-Gas reforms to ensure that the company is in the best position to implement the project and that all peoples in the Federation are represented.
We are now at a new turning point. The House of Peoples of the FBiH Parliament should vote on this law today. This is of vital importance for BiH and its security interests, because we do not want BiH to be exposed to Russian political or economic blackmail,” concluded Murphy.
According to Murphy, the political climate in BiH is not good.
“I spoke about this before the celebration of the RS Day, the conclusions of the NSRS and the rhetoric we heard from Banja Luka.
There are too many politicians who are engaged in dividing society, instead of uniting it, and who are focused on their own interests, instead of building better conditions for citizens. Corruption is a big problem and that’s why people leave the country, 50,000 of them a year. If you ask me if the citizens think that the situation is going well at the macro level, the answer is no.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has a lot of work ahead of it and the politicians are responsible for doing it, and primarily democracy in the country should be strengthened. The focus should be on electoral integrity. Biometric identification of voters with scanners must be strengthened and it must be done throughout the country for the 2026 General Election. Social enterprises are not the future, private ones are.
State institutions that lead the country towards the EU and NATO should be strengthened. The citizens I talk to are frustrated because they think that not enough is being done at any level of government, and we share their opinion. We need to insist on changing the minds of politicians,” concluded Murphy.
(Vijesti.ba)
