Alexis Tsipras’ intervention in the meeting of the Committee for the Western Balkans of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe- Discussion on Bosnia Herzegovina in detail:

“We are going through a time of greater and greater destabilization and war.

In Ukraine, following the illegal invasion of Russia.

In the Eastern Mediterranean, following the continued Israeli operations in Palestine with tens of thousands of dead civilians.

And in the Middle East following the bombing of Iran by the United States and Israel.

We have to be honest about this situation or else we will not be able to find a way to overcome it.

We are not just living through a period when war and conflict is chosen by the international community, over diplomacy.

We are living through a period when there is no such thing as an international community. Only the logic of might makes right.

Where the US and Israel and Russia decide that bilateral and international differences should be solved through war and power and not diplomacy. As we see on the international issue of the nuclear program of Iran.

And the more we move to destabilization the more we see the vacuums that are created as in Syria where tens of Christians died from a terrorist attack.

I wonder, how many more terrorist attacks will happen as this politics of war over diplomacy continues and leads the region deeper to instability leaving greater political vacuums?

How much more will migration flows leaving from war areas increase, as we see happening from Libya towards Greece?

Αll those who do not react today and accept the violation of international law will be the first ones calling for the purchasing of more weapons and harsher measures against migrants and the terrorism that will get even worse.

It is a vicious circle.

And where does Europe stand?

Unfortunately it does not have the vision for peace and stability or the strength and authority to work in the direction of peace, stability and international law as well as an effective migration policy.

So it is even more important – with what strength we have – to fight for more peace, security, stability and respect of international borders and human rights.

Either that has to do with the Middle East, or the Eastern Mediterranean, or the Balkans. And particularly in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Because if there is no international community to support peace and reconciliation actively and constructively and in a smart and effective diplomatic way in Bosnia, against secession, then there will be no peace.

And if there is no peace in Bosnia, there will be no peace in the Balkans.

Lets not forget that war took place in the Balkans only 25 years ago.

If we in the Council of Europe, as well as the EU, do not work in this direction, then we will never have credibility as an international force.

And other forces will become even stronger in the region.

This was our goal with the Prespa Agreement of 2018 and we proved it was possible to fight nationalism and to find mutually agreed solutions through diplomacy.

And this was also what Greece tried to do with the Thessaloniki Agenda of 2003.

Against this background, I would like to support the Council of Europe Action Plan in Bosnia Herzegovina.

And the report process on Bosnia by the Parliamentary Assembly.

But I believe we can do even more.

And I am looking forward to your contributions to our exchange on important issues for the region like democratic security, regional peace and the path to European integration.

With these words I would like to welcome Mr Edin Forto, Minister of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Before having served in various executive positions, you were a Member of Parliament, and since 2021 you are also the Head of the pro-European “Our Party”.

You have referred very often to the need to overcome division along ethnic lines in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and you are one of the initiators of the “Platform for Peace, Stability, European Future and Economic Progress” that was signed by 10 political parties in May of this year.”