US AMBASSADOR TO BIH MURPHY: IF FORMATION OF GOVERNMENT BLOCKED, WE HAVE CAPACITY TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTIVITIES

SARAJEVO, FEBRUARY 23 (ONASA) – Ambassador of the United States of America to Bosnia and Herzegovina Michael J. Murphy stated that his government is encouraged by the fact that government at the state level in BiH was established quickly.
– This is a positive development. We hope that this shows that the parties and politicians understand how important it is to have a functional government in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They should focus on solving the problems faced by the citizens of BiH and work for the country to progress on its Euro-Atlantic path. It is also encouraging that we saw how the parties that are involved in the formation of the government are talking about programs, about what needs to be done. This did not happen before and that is positive. This requires compromise and consensus. We have seen how there are attempts by people in power to work on it, and it is not easy. It won’t always go well, but the atmosphere is much better than four years ago. The most important thing is that the officials in power roll up their sleeves and work on what they promised to the citizens. They expect from them the implementation of reforms in order for BiH to progress in Euro-Atlantic integration, said Murphy in an interview for the BiH edition of “Večernji list”.
He rejected claims that Western embassies, the international community and the US play an active role in the formation of the government.
As he points out, these decisions are made by political parties and their leaders. He adds that the establishment of a functional, effective government in the Federation is important for the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
– If I may say so, the Federation should lead that train towards the destination of Euro-Atlantic integration. However, because we did not have an elected government for so long, we did not have responsible governance. That didn’t happen. So, some of the challenges, such as inflation, have not been solved and now they finally need to be solved. I hope that the parties that have the majority in the House of Representatives and the House of Peoples will form the Government of the Federation of BiH, which will change that. I won’t predict the future. I learned that no diplomat should do that, but I will tell you that we are closely monitoring the situation and, if there are blockades and the prevention of the formation of the government, we have the capacity to take appropriate actions, said Murphy, adding that everyone from the OHR , through the EUSR to numerous embassies “said very clearly that you cannot have another four-year period with the Government that has not changed since 2018.”
In an interview with “Večernji list”, he refused to speculate on what the high representative will or will not do.