The proposed declaration rejecting the initiative of the British Government and the EU to establish migrant centers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, submitted by the President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik, is fully justified, said Predrag Ćeranić, Dean of the Faculty of Security Studies in Banja Luka.
In a statement to SRNA, Ćeranić emphasized that the unfair initiative coming from the United Kingdom is yet another attempt to deport migrants—whom they themselves cannot manage and consider a security threat—to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and North Macedonia.
“This is nothing new. The EU has frequently considered deporting the excess number of migrants they cannot absorb to the Western Balkans. But such an approach is unfair, and the EU should address the migrant issue in a different and more responsible way,” Ćeranić said.
He pointed out that the United Kingdom and the EU are unlikely to abandon their deeply unfair policy toward the Western Balkans when it comes to migrants. However, this should not stop the region from insisting on a quality solution to the problem.
Ćeranić noted that there are currently around 1,500 migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina, housed in three migrant camps. The security implications are serious, considering the different ethnic groups involved and the frequent incidents of violent conflict—sometimes with fatal outcomes—which further complicate the security situation in BiH.
“The local population is afraid of them, and we are already seeing changes in the police force in the Una-Sana Canton, where patrols now consist of four officers instead of two,” Ćeranić said.
He stressed that the Government of Republika Srpska was entirely right in its decision not to allow the formation of migrant camps on its territory.
“Migrants see Bosnia and Herzegovina merely as a transit station on their way to Germany or the Nordic countries. They consider themselves just passersby for whom almost anything is allowed,” Ćeranić concluded.
Source: RTRS
