Deputy Head of Finnish Mission visits IFIMES

PRESS RELEASE

Deputy Head of Finnish Mission visits IFIMES

LJUBLJANA, October 17, 2013 – Today, Director of the International Institute for Middle-East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES) from Ljubljana Zijad Bećirović and senior advisor Miran Videtič received Deputy Head of Mission from the Embassy of Finland to Ljubljana Sirpa Oksanen who is also responsible for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

IFIMES Director presented the activities of the Institute and their projects related to the Balkan region, especially to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During the talks they exchanged views on the current events in Bosnia and Herzegovina. IFIMES representatives stressed that the implementation of the Sejdić-Finci judgement is being misused in order to resolve other issues such as the so-called Croatian problem in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that even the highest EU officials are involved in this case. The non-implementation of that judgement has prevented Bosnia and Herzegovina from making progress towards its EU accession for almost four years. It is especially worrying that the security system in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been taken over and dominantly controlled by certain individuals who are directly connected with or involved in crime and criminal activities, which represents a threat to the security of EU and NATO member states.

Ljubljana, October 17, 2013