Bosnian Presidency Member Backs Macron's Statement On Sarajevo's Looming Jihadi Threat

BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th November, 2019) Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Friday expressed his support for a statement by French President Emmanuel Macron, who had raised awareness on the spread of terrorism and radical islam in the country.

On November 7, Macron called Bosnia a "time bomb" in an interview with The Economist newspaper, and added that the country is facing the problem of returning Islamic radicals from the conflict zones in the middle East. The chairman of the Bosnian Presidency, Croat Zeljko Komsic, summoned the French ambassador to the country to provide explanations on Friday.

"I thank President Macron, he revealed to the world the truth that I have been pointing out for a long time when it comes to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Because of this, I was criticized by some members of the international community who are not satisfied with the truth about the situation in Bosnia.

What Macron said is a responsible approach to solving the problem that Bosnia is facing," Dodik said, as quoted by the RTRS broadcaster.

He also pointed out that Bosnia poses a danger to the European Union because of the spread of Islamist terrorism and jihadists.

In October, a group of nine members of the Islamic State terrorist organization (IS, banned in Russia) will be transferred from Syria to Bosnia, where they will be taken to court. Six of them are on Interpol's international wanted list. Meanwhile, the State Investigation and Protection Agency is in search of another three radical Islamist militants in the country.

Earlier this week, the UN Security Council unanimously agreed to support a resolution authorizing the deployment of the European Union Force Bosnia and Herzegovina, which oversees the military implementation of the peace deal that ended the Bosnian war, until November 2020.