Strujić Harbić: Bosniaks see BiH as their home state; European Union: Cannot speak on behalf of all Bosniaks

Bosniaks view Bosnia and Herzegovina as their home state, said Bosniak Party MP Kenana Strujić Harbić.

She said this in a statement to the media in Sarajevo, where she attended the conference "Geopolitical Changes and the Position of Bosniaks in the Western Balkans", which was organized in that city two days ago by the Center for Geopolitical Research (Geopol).

As reported by the portal sandzacke.rsAt that event, she said that Bosniaks in Montenegro do not communicate with their mother country even on a monthly basis, unlike other peoples who communicate with their mother countries daily.

"Serbs in Montenegro have Serbia behind them, Albanians have two states, Croats have 24-hour communication. Bosniaks in Montenegro are left to their own devices," she said, as reported by the portal.

The event brought together representatives of the academic community, political life and the media, and focused on the challenges faced by Bosniaks in the countries of the region, with harsh criticism of the current attitude of official Sarajevo towards them, the text adds.

The conference was also attended by the Vice President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Mirsad Nurković, also from the Bosniak Party, who spoke about the European path of the countries in the region.

Kenana Strujić Harbić emphasized that the position of Bosniaks today is significantly better than it was 30 years ago, reminding that the president of the Bosniak Party is now the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The BS MP also recalled the devastating consequences of the aggression against BiH in the border areas: "Only 16 households remain in Bukovica, while in 1991 there were 5.000. In the last census, there were 3,5 percent Muslims in that area, which we consider a great success considering that there were 1,5 percent of them before."

"She criticized Denis Bećirović's political approach, recalling that in 2023 he supported Milo Đukanović, while after the change of government, the Bosniaks were supported by Reis-ul-ulema Husein ef. Kavazović," the text reads.

Striković: Get rid of the bad work while we still have the patience to react politely

Councilor of the European Union in Bijelo Polje, Adnan Striković, said that MP Strujić Harbić cannot speak on behalf of all Bosniaks.

"The MP can only say this personally, or perhaps on behalf of the members of the Bosniak People's Party, although I am sure that there are many among them who are deeply offended by this kind of narrative. But certainly not on behalf of all Bosniaks. You 'stole' the name of the people and gave it to a political party, do not steal people's privacy and do not determine who they are, what they are and where they are from. My home and only country is Montenegro, and my heart only dances to 'Oh bright May dawn'. Let this be a warning to all those who try to impose their identity and origin on others. Stop your bad deeds while we still have the patience to react politely," he said.

Cikotić: Understanding Bosniaks according to the Bosniak Party is disastrous for our society

Vice President of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and representative of the European Union, Amina Cikotić, said that understanding Bosniaks according to the Bosniak Party's standards is "devastating for our society."

"After a series of failed attempts to completely stigmatize and humiliate anyone who is a Bosniak and not a supporter of the Bosnian Serb Party, all that remains is for them to tell us that we are not Bosniaks if our home country is Montenegro. The leadership of the Bosnian Serb Party (I'm sure their members don't either) may have a different home country, but we don't. They are now too similar to their coalition partners. Stick with Manda and don't play tricks on us," she said.