Dacic reacts to Bosnian Presidency member's Kosovo comment (Tanjug, B92, DW)
Bosnia doesn't recognize Kosovo, and if members of its Presidency don't respect Serbia's territorial integrity, they are undermining friendly relations.
That would trigger a reciprocal reaction, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said, reacting to Zeljko Komsic's statement that Kosovo is "an independent state to him."
"The newly-elected Croat member of the Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) Presidency, Zeljko Komsic, has not yet taken office, and he has already tried to provoke Serbia with his statement that he believes that Kosovo is an independent state. And I personally consider that the Serb Republic (Serb entity in BiH) can be an independent state if Kosovo can, but Serbia has an official foreign policy recognizing the territorial integrity of BiH," Dacic told Tanjug.
As he added, Komsic would have to know that he is now at the head of BiH, in a collective body, and that the foreign policy of that state is only what the Presidency decides.
"BiH did not recognize Kosovo, and if members of the Presidency do not respect the territorial integrity of Serbia, they should know that they are undermining friendly relations, as well as provoking our reciprocal reaction. Instead, it is better to turn to cooperation and a common future," Dacic concluded.
Komsic told Deutsche Welle on Wednesday that Kosovo is "an independent state for him" - but that "with Milorad Dodik in the Presidency, it is unlikely BiH would change its decision on Kosovo."