President of the Bosniak Party (BS) Ervin Ibrahimovic will attend on Friday, April 12, a meeting of political representatives of Bosniaks from the entire region, organized in Sarajevo by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the leader of the People and Justice (NiP) party Elmedin Konaković.
This was confirmed to "Vijesti" from BS, saying that the meeting was planned during the days of the big holiday, Eid al-Fitr, which, they add, is "a good opportunity for a joint gathering".
"And exactly one of the messages of Bajram is togetherness," they announced.
BS reminds that at the end of March, at the invitation of Ibrahimović, an iftar was organized in Podgorica, which, they say, was attended by the majority of Bosniak leaders from the region. Therefore they say:
"All those initiatives aimed at strengthening the Bosniak people in the political, economic and social sense, as well as those initiatives that will contribute to the countries of the region becoming members of the EU and NATO as soon as possible, have the support of BS".
On Sunday, Konaković wrote on his Facebook account that the meeting was not his idea, but that it was proposed by "Bosniaks who consider BiH their motherland and expect political Sarajevo to bring them all together, while they live and engage in politics in other countries of the region."
"Some of them vehemently disagree on various political issues, but they are united on this one and are ready to sit next to each other at the meeting in Sarajevo," he said.
The topic of the meeting is "Position and status of Bosniaks in the region".
As the Sarajevo portal Klix (klix.ba) reports, the list of invitees includes, in addition to Ibrahimović, the president of the Party of Justice and Reconciliation (Serbia) Usama Zukorlić, president of the Sandžak Democratic Action Party Suleiman Ugljanin, president of the Social Democratic Party of Serbia Rasim Ljajic, President of the Bosniak National Council (Croatia) Armin Hodzic, president of the Bosniak Democratic Union of Macedonia Munir Kolašinac, president of the Bosniak Party of Kosovo Mirzet Džogović, president of the New Democratic Party of Kosovo Emilia Redzepi, president of the Democratic Action Party Bakir Izetbegović...
The president of the Alliance for a Better Future of Bosnia and Herzegovina also received an invitation Fahrudin Radoncic, president of the People's European Union Nermin Ogrešević, president of the Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina Semir Efendic, president of the party Forward Semsudin Mehmedović, president of BH Zeleni Sevlid Hurtić and president of the Business Council of Turkey and Montenegro Bajram Akgul.
Izetbegović refused the invitation to the gathering, saying that there were a number of reasons for it, and that the main one was "Konaković's leading role in a group of parties which, due to its own interests, trampled on the will of Bosniaks to vote, their dignity and national interest".
The representative of the Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina will not come to the meeting either, as they announced that they will not attend the meeting of the man who "trampled the will of the voters". It is obvious, they add, that Konaković's invitation is an attempt to copy the "Easter Assembly", which should be held on May 5 and 6 in Belgrade and other parts of Serbia, at the initiative of the president of that country. Aleksandar Vučić.
Konaković claims that the gathering was arranged before the information about the "Easter Assembly" appeared, and that it has nothing to do with that gathering.
"There are many important identity issues. Language, religion, tradition, culture, education, history and more. EU integration is our common goal. The joint political action of elected parliamentarians is one of the ideas proposed by colleagues... Bosniaks in the region are a political people with enormous potential. It is time to direct and articulate that potential, and significantly improve cooperation between us. For the sake of our people, for the sake of our children, our painful history and our bright future", said Konaković.
Vučić: I support the gathering of Bosniaks, I can help in the organization
Vučić said yesterday that he has no problem with the gathering of Bosniak leaders, saying that he is ready to help organize the meeting, "even if the meeting is held in Novi Pazar or Belgrade."
"When we announced the 'Easter Assembly' and gathering in Belgrade and Serbia, they said that this is not something that should be allowed. Very negative reactions came from Sarajevo. Now, on April 12, they have scheduled a gathering of Bosniaks, and I support it," Vučić said, as reported by the Radio Sarajevo portal (radiosarajevo.ba).
Vučić stated that he sees nothing wrong with the gathering of Bosniaks and that he is not afraid of it.
"Perhaps their politics is a politics of frustration and complexes where they fear the gathering of everyone else. For us, relations with Bosniaks are very important. Important, but not to give us moral advice and for us to hide in a mouse hole. I think the key is cooperation," he said.
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