ZAGREB, January 27, 2019 - The biggest political parties based in Sarajevo on Saturday strongly condemned conclusions adopted at a convention of the Bosnian Croat National Assembly (HNS) held in Mostar earlier in the day, which rejected the verdict of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the case against Jandranko Prlić and other senior officials of the former Herceg-Bosna, which established the existence of a joint criminal enterprise designed to separate parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the rest of the country and annex them to Croatia.

Earlier in the day, the HNS convention adopted a declaration calling for constitutional reforms and for the territorial and administrative reorganisation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to ensure the equality of ethnic Croats in relation to the other two constituent peoples and guarantee the country's integration with the EU and NATO.

The part of the HNS declaration which challenges the ICTY findings drew a response from the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), the Social Democratic Party (SDP BiH) and the Democratic Front.

The HNS's positions only deepen the divisions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and hamper the process of post-war reconciliation, the SDA said. "No act of rejection can change the final verdicts of the Hague-based tribunal or historical facts, but it does send a clear and unambiguous message about the policy pursued by the HNS, towards others in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the entire international public," the biggest Bosniak party said.

The HNS's call for the administrative and territorial retailoring of Bosnia and Herzegovina based on "the glorification of the joint criminal enterprise" constitutes a conscious effort to obstruct the dialogue necessary to implement the reform of the election system, the SDA said, stressing that HNS leaders had previously demonstrated their attitude to Bosnia and Herzegovina by attending a commemoration of the unconstitutional day of the Bosnian Serb entity on January 9.

The SDP BiH said that the denial of the ICTY rulings was a continuation of "the HDZ's retrograde policies", noting that the biggest Croat party was holding Bosnia and Herzegovina citizens hostage to its incorrect interpretations of the country's constitution and election law.

The DF, the party led by Željko Komšić, the Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, called on representatives of the international community to condemn the HNS's "uncivilised act of glorification of crimes and denial of court findings."

The declaration of the HNS BiH, the body that coordinates activities of most Croat political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina, rejected the ICTY's findings on the joint criminal enterprise, which, it said, "is attributed to Croatia, the Croat Republic of Herceg-Bosna and the Croatian Defence Council in an unfounded and unfair way".

"The ill-intentioned assertion is unfortunately used for the accomplishment of wartime goals of one of the formerly warring parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina and for the elimination of the Croat people as a political entity in the country. In the "Prlić and others" case, the ICTY was not qualified, nor is it at all qualified, as it itself ruled in 2007, to decide about the accountability of states because it is a criminal court which prosecutes only individuals," the HNS said in the declaration, among other things.

More news about the status of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina can be found in the Diaspora section.

ZAGREB, January 21, 2019 - The Croat member of Bosnia and Herzegovina's tripartite presidency, Željko Komšić, said on Sunday he was open to dialogue with Croatia's leadership, who consider his election illegitimate, and that his country currently did not need the support of the Serb member of the presidency, Milorad Dodik, for the continuation of its journey towards NATO membership.

"As far as I am concerned, I don't see any other way but for us to relax our relations through cooperation and talks," Komšić said in a Croatian television current affairs talk show.

Komšić said that his country was interested in resolving issues concerning border demarcation and property relations and that the Croatian political leadership was welcome in Sarajevo in that regard. He noted that these issues should be resolved in such a way that neither party was damaged.

Speaking of the decision by dozens of predominantly-Croat municipalities and several cantons to declare him persona non grata because he had been elected the Croat member of the presidency thanks to Bosniak votes, Komšić said that this was "the policy of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)."

"If they don't need me, and they need me more than I need them, those municipal services and mayors, fine, but I stand at their disposal," he said. "As far as the Croats are concerned, and some of the Serbs too, they are certainly all aware that Bosnia and Herzegovina is their country. What politicians are saying is another matter," he added.

Komšić advocates Bosnia and Herzegovina as a civic state and is against the Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats being treated as constituent ethnic groups. He claims to be representing all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

At the same time, activists of the movement #SejdoKomsic is not my president, launched earlier this year, have announced protests for the 7th of every month to draw attention to what they call "the Bosniak's imposition of Komšić as the Croat representative." The movement was called after Sejdo Bajramović, a communist-era representative of Kosovo Albanians, whom the late Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic forced onto the Yugoslav federal presidency against the will of the Albanian people in Kosovo. More than 10,000 people took part in an anti-Komšić rally in Mostar.

Speaking of the constitutionality of the three largest ethnic groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats, Komšić said that each group took from the constitution what suited them best. He said that the constitution was in many aspects illogical, but needed to be respected.

"Under the Bosnia and Herzegovina constitution, it is not just the Croats, Bosniaks and Serbs that are constituent. The constitution says that Bosnia and Herzegovina is the country of Croats, Serbs, Bosniaks, others and citizens, which shows that the architects of the Dayton agreement took everything into account and did not reduce Bosnia and Herzegovina to just three ethnic groups," he said.

Komšić also noted that under the constitution the presidency members "are not representatives, but members of their ethnic group." "I am a member of the Croat ethnic group, but under the constitution I have the obligation to represent all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina," he added.

He said it was absurd that the presidency should have three members, recommending a chancellor-style system with a single president being elected in parliament as is the case in Germany. He said he would rather have certain powers of the presidency transferred to the government, or the Council of Ministers.

Speaking of the construction of the Pelješac Bridge, Komšić said that this problem could have been avoided had the border agreement signed by former presidents Alija Izetbegović of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Franjo Tuđman of Croatia been ratified. He said that this hadn't been done because of the lack of will on Zagreb's part.

Komšić had previously announced that he would bring a lawsuit against Croatia over the Pelješac Bridge construction project, but now he said that there would be no suit and that he preferred dialogue. "It is impossible to separate Bosnia and Herzegovina from Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro. What we think of each other is irrelevant, we need to work together," he stressed.

Apart from the Pelješac Bridge, Sarajevo and Zagreb are also in dispute over border demarcation and Yugoslav-era properties which Croatia has not returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Komšić warned.

Commenting on his statement that the biggest threats to the region are posed by Serbian, Croatian and Albanian territorial expansion projects, Komšić said that in his opinion these projects present, partly directly and partly indirectly, a great threat to his country.

Commenting on the statement by Bosniak leader Bakir Izetbegović, made in the same television programme a year ago, that it would not be possible to establish a third, Croat-majority entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina without a war, Komšić said that those who were ready to take up arms were in the minority, adding that people in Bosnia and Herzegovina had no will to fight any more.

Komšić said that Bosnia and Herzegovina was currently closer to becoming a member of NATO than of the European Union because the NATO accession process was simpler and would bring benefits more quickly.

NATO membership brings security to the whole country, "a possible intervention from the outside is out of the question", but it requires political reforms, he said.

The NATO membership bid is also supported by the Bosniak member of the presidency, Šefik Džaferović, but the Serb member Milorad Dodik is against.

Dodik insists that his candidate for Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Zoran Tegeltija, will have to comply with the resolution, passed by the Bosnian Serb National Assembly in 2017, which promotes the military neutrality of the Republika Srpska entity and is therefore an obstacle to Bosnia and Herzegovina joining NATO.

Džaferović and Komšić have warned that the new Chairman must not be a person who will block the country's path towards NATO membership because this is its foreign policy commitment.

Komšić said in the television interview on Sunday that he was unable to convince Dodik for now, but that all decisions and documents were prepared and that Dodik's consent was not needed at present.

More news on the relations between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 10, 2019 - Croatian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ivan Del Vechio, is going to be summoned for consultations to Zagreb after his attendance at the controversial celebration of the "RS entity day" in Banja Luka, although that holiday in the Serb entity was declared unconstitutional by Bosnia and Herzegovina's Constitutional Court.

Wednesday's celebration was also marked by the posthumous awarding of decoration to ex-JNA officer, Slavko Lisica, who was sentenced to 15 years for war crimes in the Croatian city of Šibenik. In 1998, the local county court found Lisica guilty of shelling that Adriatic city in September 1992. In the shelling launched by JNA units under Lisica's control, a woman was killed and the city's landmarks, including centuries-old churches and monuments in the city centre, were damaged.

War Veterans' Affairs Minister Tomo Medved and Defence Minister Damir Krstičević on Thursday strongly criticised Croatian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Ivan Del Vechio for attending Wednesday's celebration of Republika Srpska Day in Banja Luka.

Attending such a ceremony "is inappropriate conduct, particularly considering the fact that a war criminal, convicted in Croatia of grave war crimes, was decorated on that occasion," Medved told the press before a government's meeting in Zagreb.

Minister Krstičević said that attending such an event was a disgrace.

Medved said that it was up to the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry to decide on possible measures against the ambassador. "As far as I know, the foreign ministry did not know that Del Vechio was attending that event, and it is now gathering all the necessary information about the case," Medved said.

Medved, however, would not comment on the presence of the local Bosnian Croat leader, Dragan Čović of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnian and Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) at the Banja Luka event. "Being a representative of the Croat people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Čović makes his decisions on his own and I do not want to comment on that," said Medved.

The Bosnian Serb authorities on Wednesday organised Republika Srpska Day celebrations despite a 2015 Constitutional Court ruling that declared the entity's holiday to be contrary to the Constitution and discriminatory against the other two constituent peoples in the country.

The parade and celebrations in Banja Luka were ignored by a vast majority of foreign diplomats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the exception of the ambassadors of Russia and Croatia. Also in attendance were Serbia's Prime Minister Ana Brnabić and Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin as well as top dignitaries of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The central event included a parade involving 1,500 participants, mostly armed police officers. Some of them wore uniforms resembling those worn by Serb troops in World War I. The parade also included firefighters, civil protection staff, war veterans, student and local branches of the controversial Russian motorcycle club "Night Wolves" that is perceived to be close to Vladimir Putin. The club's leader Alexander Zaldostanov has been banned from entering Bosnia and Herzegovina and declared a threat to national security.

No symbols of Bosnia and Herzegovina were displayed during the parade or at other commemorative events. On the other hand, numerous flags of the RS entity and Serbia were flown and only the anthems and Republika Srpska and Serbia were played.

More news on the relations between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina can be found in our Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 9, 2019 - The authorities of the Bosnian Serb entity on Wednesday organised commemorative events marking "the Republic Day", despite a 2015 ruling of the country's Constitutional Court that declared the entity's holiday to be contrary to the Constitution and discriminatory against the Croats and the Bosniaks.

Today's parade and celebrations in the northwestern city of Banja Luka, the biggest city in the Republic of Srpska (RS), were ignored by foreign diplomats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the exception of Russia's Ambassador. In attendance were also Serbia's Prime Minister Ana Brnabić and Defence Minister Aleksandar Vuilin as well as the top dignitaries of the Serb Orthodox Church, and the local Bosnian Croat leader, Dragan Čović of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnian and Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) was also among the guests.

Serbian Prime Minister Brnabić said in her speech that Serbs must stay united regardless of which state they lived in. "We will honour any decision made by consensus of all the three constituent peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina but we are going to give special care for the citizens of the RS, which is completely natural," the Serbian prime minister said at the ceremony, adding that care for the RS entity did not mean hatred towards Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The entity's president Željka Cvijanović said that this entity was the expression of "the aspirations for freedom and peace", and said the local authorities would be committed to the defence of the entity's survival.

One of the commemorative events was a parade with 1,500 participants, mainly armed police officers. Some of them wore attire resembling uniforms worn by Serb troops in World War I.

The Banja Luka parade also included firefighters, civil protection staff, war veterans, student and local branches of the controversial Russian motorcycle club "Night Wolves" that is perceived to be close to Vladimir Putin. The club's leader Alexander Zaldostanov has been banned from entering Bosnia and Herzegovina and proclaimed a threat to national security.

No symbols of Bosnia and Herzegovina were displayed during the parade or at other commemorative events. On the other hand, numerous flags of the RS entity and Serbia were hoisted and only the official song of the entity and Serbia's anthem were played.

More news on the status of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina can be found in our Diaspora section.

ZAGREB, December 28, 2018 - Croatian Bosniak MP Ermina Lekaj Prljaskaj on Friday dismissed criticisms by some Bosniak ethnic minority organisations of her endorsement of the parliamentary Declaration on the status of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, saying the Declaration does not constitute meddling in BiH's domestic policy and sovereignty.

The basic point and objective of the Declaration is to point to the unequal position of the Croats as one of the three constituent peoples in BiH, as shown in the failure to honour the BiH Constitutional Court's decision on election legislation, Lekaj Prljaskaj said in a press release. She represents the Albanian, Bosniak, Montenegrin, Macedonian and Slovenian ethnic minorities in the Croatian parliament.

Several Bosniak associations in Croatia have called on all Bosniak organisations in the country to boycott Lekaj Prljaskaj, disgruntled with how she represents Bosniaks in Croatia and her endorsement of the Declaration, which they consider direct interference in BiH's domestic affairs.

Lekaj Prljaskaj said that because of her endorsement, she was "exposed to political lynching on social media and to various forms of discrimination" by representatives of the Bosniak minority. She added, however, that she saw her support of Croats outside Croatia as an obligation as an MP and under the Constitution, which says that Croatia takes care of Croats abroad.

"Respecting the Constitution is not meddling in the domestic policy and sovereignty of the neighbour and friend BiH," she said, adding that she expected "the same criteria in the assessment of other countries' relations with BiH, for example Turkey which, based on someone's oral will, proclaims itself guardian of the Bosniak people and all of BiH."

More news on the relations between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and the status of Croats in Bosnia, which has been in the focus of the media lately, can be found in our Politics section.

ZAGREB, December 22, 2018 - A former High Representative of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schwartz-Schilling, has suggested that the European People's Party (EPP) should expel the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) over what he described as its nationalist and destructive actions.

In a letter sent in late November to Manfred Weber, the chair of the EPP group in the European Parliament, Schwarz-Schilling says that it is time to consider expelling the HDZ BiH from the EPP because the party pursues a policy very similar to the policy of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) of Milorad Dodik, which was ousted from the Socialist International (SI) over nationalist activities in 2012, based on a report by the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Previously, the Party of European Socialists (PES) refused to admit the SNSD.

European and democratic values should be defended within the EPP, otherwise destructive tendencies, based on ideas of ethno-national domination will prevail and eventually become a threat to the entire Europe, said the German politician whom the Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Ministry recently accused of being himself responsible for the Croat people in Bosnia and Herzegovina not being equal to the Serb and Bosniak peoples.

As in an open letter he recently sent with former High Representatives Carl Bildt and Paddy Ashdown to the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, Schwarz-Schilling claims that the HDZ BiH is "falsely depicting", with the support of Croatia, the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the status of its Croat community.

More news on the status of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as on the latest in the relations between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and connected issues, can be found in our Diaspora section.

ZAGREB, December 19, 2018 - The Bosnian Presidency decided on Tuesday to recall the country's diplomatic representatives in 21 countries, including Renata Paskalj, the Ambassador to Croatia, as well as in the UN, the Council of Europe, and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The recalled ambassadors were appointed over the past four years by the Presidency's former Croat and Serb members, Dragan Čović and Mladen Ivanić respectively.

Before being appointed Bosnian ambassador to Croatia, Paskalj was Čović's chief of staff and had no diplomatic experience.

The Presidency's chairman and Serb member, Milorad Dodik, had announced the replacement of all Serb diplomats, saying they had not consulted enough with the Bosnian Serb entity authorities.

The Presidency's Croat member, Željko Komšić, had announced he would examine the work of the Croat diplomats appointed by Čović and decide who would be replaced.

Only the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina is authorised to appoint ambassadors and consuls general. The unwritten rule is that its Croat, Serb and Bosniak members decide on the appointment of diplomats from their own peoples.

The Bosnian Croat HDZ BiH party said Komšić's decision to replace all Croat ambassadors was political revanchism and the continuation of his attempt to disempower Bosnian Croats. The party considers Komšić's election as the Croat member of the state Presidency "unlawful and illegitimate."

More news on the relations between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina can be found in our Politics section.

ZAGREB, December 14, 2018 - The Croatian parliament on Friday adopted, with 81 votes for to 11 against and four abstentions, a declaration on Bosnia and Herzegovina Croats’ status, which calls for amending the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the election legislation for the purpose of enabling the Croats, the least numerous constituent people, to be equal to the other two peoples in that country.

The six-point document underscores that for the successful functioning of Bosnia and Herzegovina at all levels, it is crucial that all its constituent peoples and citizens are equal and that they have full confidence and trust in their country's future.

The declaration warns about attempts to marginalise the Croats. In this context, it is underscored that for the third time, the Croat representative in the tripartite presidency has been elected thanks to ballots cast by Bosniaks, and that this is contrary to the spirit of the Dayton peace accords.

The document warns that such a scenario is possible even if all the eligible Croat voters in Bosnia and Herzegovina cast their ballot for just one candidate, which does not mean that he or she will win the seat of the Croat representative in the presidency.

The declaration also underlines several times that Croatia supports the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina and recalls that Zagreb backs and assists Bosnia and Herzegovina's European Union membership bid.

It calls for efforts to be taken to "consensually amend the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its election legislation so as to ensure the harmonisation of relations between its three constituent peoples and equality of all its citizens."

The document calls for ensuring simplification, transparency, manageability and cost-efficiency of the internal organisation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Institutions in Croatia are called to continue advocating and supporting fast changes that will ensure the equality of all the three constituent peoples and citizens of the neighbouring country, and they are urged to intensify assistance to institutions of strategic importance for the Croat people in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The document, which was put to a vote by the parliamentary committee for Croats living outside Croatia, was supported by lawmakers from the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and some members of the parliamentary group of the Work and Solidarity Party of Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić, as well as representatives of the Independents for Croatia party and a few other MPs.

Those who abstained from voting were independent MPs Marko Vučetić, Tomislav Žagar, Vlaho Orepić and Mario Habek.

Those who were against the document were lawmakers from the largest opposition party – the Social Democratic Party (SDP) while deputies from another two opposition parties – the MOST and the Živi Zid – did not attend the vote.

During the debate before the vote, SDP parliamentarian Joško Klisović said that the purpose of the declaration should not be only to point to the status of the local Croats but also to determine what Croatia can do to help them to improve their situation. He also noted that it was not the Croatian parliament's duty to discuss the constitution and election law of a neighbouring country.

MOST leader Božo Petrov accused the ruling HDZ of hypocritically offering insincere help to the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On the other hand, HDZ bench whip Branko Bačić called on MPs to overcome their narrow partisan interests and support the declaration.

More news on the status of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina can be found in the Diaspora section.

ZAGREB, December 14, 2018 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Friday that after his statements about Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), European Union member states' leaders realised that there was a problem with the Bosnian election laws and that it should be resolved.

Plenković spoke about BiH and the issue of its election law at two European Council meetings, in October and a summit taking place yesterday and today. "There is now big understanding for this topic among my colleagues," he told Croatian reporters covering his stay in Brussels, adding that "people understand there is a problem and that it should be resolved."

Plenković said he would continue to insist on this matter, "in all of BiH's best intentions." "It's very important that what we do, we do in a principled manner. It's nothing personal against any party. We are trying to shed light on a topic which deserves it."

A few days ago, former international community high representatives to BiH Carl Bildt, Paddy Ashdown and Christian Schwarz-Schilling sent a letter to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and member states' foreign ministers, accusing Croatia of meddling in BiH's internal affairs and saying that Croatian officials contesting the election of Željko Komšić as the BiH Presidency's Croat member is unacceptable.

Plenković said no one mentioned the letter at the European Council summit.

Commenting a debate in the Croatian parliament on a declaration on the status of Croats in BiH and BiH's European journey, he said, "Let's shed these unnecessary chains and prejudices that one country can't discuss in its representative body the most important foreign policy topic."

He said the government and parliament "have the right to articulate our political stance." "What some actors think, including those in the ruling HDZ, is less important. It's important to win the broadest consensus possible for a clear political declaration," he said. The latest draft of the declaration contains a balanced and clear message and "I think a good stance has been reached," he added.

Plenković said that in Dayton, US, where the peace agreement on BiH was concluded in 1995, the current political engineering was the farthest thing on anyone's mind. "There was good will then to establish peace for coexistence, reconciliation, to move on, and not to have this situation in which one nation, Croats, feel cheated. It's a question of principle... Pretending that nothing happened, sweeping this topic under the rug... that's not normal. There's no way it will happen. At one point we must say: People, wait. That's not good."

Plenković said he told his counterparts at the European Council summit that he was speaking as BiH's biggest advocate, "that nobody pushed more for BiH's progress towards the EU, and we will continue to do so."

"We are signalling that we have a problem which can be solved quite simply, so that consensus can be reached on changing the election law," he added.

More news about Croatia’s policies towards Bosnia and Herzegovina can be found in our Politics section.

ZAGREB, December 14, 2018 - The Croat member of Bosnia and Herzegovina's tripartite presidency, Željko Komšić, said on Thursday that the Constitutional Court ruling in the Ljubić case was misinterpreted in debates on changing the country's election rules.

Speaking in an interview with public television BHT 1, Komšić said it was important to realise that the Constitutional Court cannot interpret clear provisions of the Constitution, but that in its judgment on Bozo Ljubić's appeal it only found that certain articles of election law clashed with the Constitution of the Federation, the country's Bosniak-Croat entity.

He was referring to a provision, repealed by the Constitutional Court, saying that in each canton at least one deputy from each constituent ethnic group is elected to the Federation's upper house of parliament.

Interpretations of the Constitutional Court ruling failed to notice that the Federation's Constitution dictates that deputies are delegated only if they have been directly elected to the cantonal assembly, and that's all what this ruling refers to, Komšić said.

Claims that it follows from the ruling that the constitutionality of ethnic groups is above all other principles, on which the Croat HDZ party insists, are wrong, as this principle is not mentioned anywhere in the Constitution, he added.

Željko Komšić resolutely denied that the ruling in the Ljubić case could be relevant to the method of electing presidency members, and hence it could not serve as the basis for negating the legitimacy of his election.

Asked how he would protect Croat national interests in the present circumstances when it was certain that he could not expect that Croat deputies in the Federation's upper house would cooperate with him, Komšić said he would react every time he estimated that these interests were jeopardised. "If I think that something is harmful to the Croat national interest, and the Croat caucus does not support it, then it is their problem to explain it," Komšić said.

He said he had no intention of wasting his energy on quarrels and would use his term in office to do good things in accordance with the law.

Speaking of the situation in the region and threats it was facing, Komšić said that three major projects of territorial expansion - Albanian, Serbian and Croatian - continued to be a threat.

"Sometimes they are weak, sometimes they are strong, but they are here and should not be ignored. These narratives are not over and they depend on who is in power, but this is a political and social process in the Balkans," Komšić concluded.

More news on the status of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina can be found in our Diaspora section.