The political slap to Sarajevo came in the form of a message from the United States that the structures in Bosnia and Herzegovina must come to agreements without interference from external actors, said international relations expert Luciano Kaluža, appearing in the Morning Program.
“Former U.S. Ambassador to BiH Michael Murphy caused considerable damage here — perhaps even more to the Bosniaks than to others — because he gave them false hope that someone else would solve their problems for them,” Kaluža emphasized.
He stressed that the Bosniak political establishment still fails to move beyond the 1990s.
“They don’t understand that the geopolitical landscape has changed, while Republika Srpska has adapted very well. I would draw a comparison between Mostar, Banja Luka, and Sarajevo. Mostar and Banja Luka want progress and a life based on equality and mutual respect. Sarajevo, on the other hand, wants domination, imposition, and a return to the wartime and immediate post-war years,” Kaluža said.
He also touched upon the U.S. visit of Željka Cvijanović, Chairwoman and Serb member of the Presidency of BiH.
“The meeting in Dayton with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau was very important and well executed. Landau is one of Donald Trump’s closest associates and a highly influential figure. Cvijanović handled her U.S. tour excellently. She’s doing an outstanding job diplomatically, and she could serve as a model for how foreign policy can be led — both on behalf of Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Kaluža added.
Željka Cvijanović stated that during her meeting with Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce in President Donald Trump’s administration, they agreed to work together in the coming weeks on mutual regulation of customs tariffs.
“In terms of our import-export balance, this is symbolically important — around 30 million in exports, and about 6 million in imports — but politically it carries weight. It would be a symbolic yet meaningful signal that Bosnia and Herzegovina should be seen as a friendly country and a more important trade partner for the United States,” Kaluža concluded.
Source: RTRS
