Izetbegović: No construction of the Pelješac Bridge without resolving the border issue

The authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina oppose the construction of the Pelješac Bridge before resolving the border issue with Croatia, and this has been an unchanged position for more than a decade, according to a statement delivered to the media on the occasion of the signing of the contract for the start of construction of the Pelješac Bridge on Monday from the office of the Chairman of the Presidency of BiH, Bakir Izetbegović.

The statement notes that the Presidency of BiH adopted a conclusion in 2007 and officially requested Croatia to stop the construction of the Pelješac Bridge until the open issue related to the identification of the maritime border line and access of BiH to the open sea, which is a right that belongs to it under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is resolved.

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It is stated that Croatia has been officially informed about this several times, including a letter from 2009 from the then Chairman of the Presidency of BiH, Nebojša Radmanović. This position was confirmed last year by the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliament, requesting the Council of Ministers of BiH to send a note to Croatia and request that all activities on the construction of the bridge be suspended until full mutual agreement is reached.

The authorities of Croatia also received a letter from the European Commission at the end of last year, explicitly warning them that before starting the construction of the Pelješac Bridge, they must resolve the dispute with Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to Izetbegović’s office.

“Despite all warnings, Croatia continued the implementation of the disputed project by signing the contract for the construction of the bridge, and Bosnia and Herzegovina will inform the European Commission, which finances the construction of the bridge, and take other steps to protect its rights under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” the statement reads.

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The SDA also deemed the signing of the contract for the construction of the Pelješac Bridge unacceptable

The ruling Bosniak Party of Democratic Action (SDA) also assessed in a statement published in Sarajevo that the signing of the contract for the construction of the Pelješac Bridge is unacceptable before the open border issues between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are resolved. It warned that if construction does begin, the authorities of BiH could initiate proceedings against Croatia before some international courts.

In the statement from the SDA, it is emphasized that it is unacceptable to start the construction of the bridge “to the detriment of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

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“Before the construction begins, the agreement on the border between BiH and Croatia, signed in 1999 by the then presidents of BiH and Croatia, Alija Izetbegović and Franjo Tuđman, must be ratified,” the statement reads.

The SDA believes that BiH must have guaranteed access to the open sea in accordance with the International Convention on the Law of the Sea.

As they hold in the largest Bosniak party, the construction of the bridge would be lawful and legal only when BiH determines that access to the open sea complies with that convention and when BiH gives its consent.

The SDA has called on the European Commission to actively engage in resolving this issue. If this does not happen, Bosnia and Herzegovina will be forced to seek protection of its rights through international courts, they added.