Political Sarajevo persistently wants to make decisions on its own, and that was also the case with the Armed Forces support video for the national football team, said Deputy Minister of Defence Aleksandar Goganović while appearing on RTRS Morning Programme.
The support video of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the national football team triggered strong reactions and public debate, opening questions ranging from procedures within the Ministry of Defence to the role of the military in public campaigns.
“Political Sarajevo persistently wants to make decisions on its own, wanting us to have no say in anything, while at the same time blaming us for everything. They believe they can make decisions on behalf of the other two constituent peoples. In the Ministry of Defence, as in all other institutions, decisions must be made jointly and by consensus,” Goganović said.
He stressed that the entire issue surrounding the video and its implementation could have been handled differently if Minister Helez had sat down with his deputies and determined who wished to participate in the project on a voluntary basis.
“In that case there certainly would have been no problems. Instead, an attempt was made to carry out this project in a deceitful manner. Naturally, the deputies did not give their consent, yet everything was carried out without their signatures. It is also not true that members of all three constituent peoples participated in the filming of that video,” Goganović added.
Goganović emphasized that the defence system also reflects the overall situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“I would like us to focus more on the defence forces and provide them with everything they need. Our joint Armed Forces are unique in the world because we had three warring sides that later united into a single Armed Forces,” Goganović stated.
He once again reiterated that attacks coming from Sarajevo against RTRS are also attacks against Republika Srpska.
“Just look at the situation when Telekom Srbija granted the World Cup broadcasting rights to the Federation Television. BHT still attacks RTRS, claiming that because of debt they were unable to purchase the rights themselves. They even issued a statement in which, due to their own incompetence, they attack RTRS. That is not fair, and such rhetoric must stop if we want to move forward,” Goganović said.
Goganović further stated that political Sarajevo has never sincerely wanted to reach an agreement with Republika Srpska.
“They had the OHR and the High Representative behind them, which is certainly also the responsibility of the international community. Only when they treat us as an equal interlocutor, with full respect for Republika Srpska and its interests—which we must neither neglect nor forget, because the lives of the finest sons of Republika Srpska are built into it—can we reach an agreement that will be in the interest of everyone,” Goganović concluded.
Source: RTRS
