Bosnian Croat leader Zeljko Komsic has hailed his country's "valuable friendship" with Türkiye, which he said must be further developed.
"Türkiye supports some concrete steps Bosnia-Herzegovina takes, even if it's at a loss, and, incredibly, there is a foreign country that everyone welcomes with friendship," Komsic, the Croat member of Bosnia-Herzegovina's tripartite presidency, told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Tuesday.
"Every official (in Bosnia), regardless of their political view, considers Türkiye a brother nation," Komsic added.
Pointing out that Türkiye has seen "significant growth" during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's term, Komsic argued this could "only be stopped by those with bad intentions."
"It's a visible fact that Türkiye has become a key geopolitical player," he said.
Noting that every faction in his country was open to cooperating with Türkiye, Komsic assured he would work to strengthen relations with Türkiye further for the next three years he will be on duty.
Komsic has been the Croat member of the Bosnian Presidency since 2018 and its chairperson since July last year.
"Türkiye has always politically supported Bosnia-Herzegovina," Komsic said. "Especially regarding NATO membership, Türkiye has been our biggest supporter. Whenever we need help, they're always there."
In addition to negotiations to join the transatlantic security alliance, Bosnia-Herzegovina has been an EU candidate since December 2022. Türkiye, an official candidate for 24 years, openly backs its accession into both blocs.
The Bosnian Croatian leader also expressed a desire for closer defense and private sector cooperation with Türkiye in the coming term, in which he said Türkiye was "very advanced."
The two countries often tout deep-rooted history, tradition and culture that bind them together. Bosnia-Herzegovina sent rescuers and donated aid during the deadly February earthquakes last year, while its presidential council was among the first state officials to visit Türkiye for solidarity.
The Balkans, in general, are a priority for Türkiye not only from the political, economic and geographical perspectives but also due to its historical, cultural and human ties with the region.
In recent years, the Balkans region has become an attractive market for Turkish investors with its qualified workforce, business-friendly investment environment and tax and financial incentives.
The region is often described as Türkiye's gateway to the EU, thanks to its geographical location.
Komsic also pointed out that his country faced uncertainty from the European Union despite having the green light to start accession talks if it were to fulfill certain conditions until March 2024.
"Brussels is not very open to starting negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina," Komsic said, attributing it to a "series of problems Europe wants to handle internally" and the bloc being in "no state to admit the Western Balkans."
"Europe has its own problems. As long as EU members don't change their relations with one another, I believe Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Western Balkans will stay on the waiting list," Komsic remarked.
Türkiye's accession talks have stalled similarly over many disagreements and political roadblocks in recent years. Türkiye suggests it has fulfilled most of the criteria for membership.
As for the United States' influence on Bosnia-Herzegovina, Komsic said the country "cannot risk losing the friendship of a powerful country like the U.S., but we must have the courage to say when they do things wrong."
He went on to blame the U.S. for "protecting" Croatia's interests in his country and Croatia for looking to "have influence" in Bosnia-Herzegovina and not to "allow anyone to make decisions on their own."
Komsic went on to claim that the Republika Srpska (RS) allowed "holding the strings" with Serbia while accusing Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik of "continuing his separatist remarks for two decades."
RS is one of the two entities of Bosnia-Herzegovina established by the Dayton Peace Deal, which ended hostilities in November 1995 following the Bosnian war. One-half of the country belongs to the Serb entity RS, while the other is ruled by a Muslim-Croat federation.
Describing Bosnia-Herzegovina as a "paradox," Komsic argued Dodik "cannot wait for Dayton Peace Agreement to be abandoned so RS can move into the last stage of its independency project."
"All of these might seem politically depressing because they are followed by too many questions," he added.
Regarding Dodik's recently increasing separatist rhetoric, Komsic said Dodik did "not have the capacity to create conflict and neither do we."
Accusing Dodik of "playing a cunning game," Komsic said, "The worst part is that it's going well. He wants to push us into a position where we will give up on Bosnia-Herzegovina because he knows that Bosnia-Herzegovina can only disappear if we want it."
Acknowledging that the current situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina wasn't "so bright," Komsic stressed that his country would continue the struggle.
