There are two different visions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, High Representative Valentin Inzko said today. He said one vision is mired in the conviction that the country can never break free of chauvinism and spite.
“The other vision is quite different. In this vision, the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina are exactly like people anywhere else. They think and act in just the same way as other Europeans. They care about their families and about their future. They want their country to be safe and prosperous – they want it to be a normal, decent place to live.”
Speaking at Prokosko Lake at a ceremony to commemorate the deaths of twelve international officials in a helicopter crash fourteen years ago, the High Representative said the victims of the accident were working for a positive vision of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“They believed that this country could succeed and prosper, because its people are decent; because its people are talented, because its people have the capacity to reject failure and reach for success – just like people in any other country.”
Noting that some today are stuck in a gloomy vision of failure, the High Representative said this “must not mean that the rest of the population has to fail with them.”
He said the International Community is committed to the cause of every decent citizen, “the cause of recovery, of reconciliation, of prosperity and peace.”
The full text of the HR’s remarks can be accessed here.