UPDATE - Dayton Agreement not a deal aiming for solution in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Turkish president

UPDATES WITH REMARKS FROM TURKISH, CROATIAN PRESIDENTS; ADDS BACKGROUND

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) – The 1995 Dayton Accords, which ended the deadly war among Bosnian Serbs, Croats, and Muslim Bosniaks, was not a deal aiming for a solution in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Turkish president said on Thursday.

"Regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina, in my meeting with the leaders during my visit there, if it is asked where this distress comes from, I think it comes from Dayton. Unfortunately, Dayton could not be an agreement aiming for solution in Bosnia-Herzegovina," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

His remarks came at a news conference with his Croatian counterpart Zoran Milanovic in the capital Zagreb, the last stop of his three-nation Balkan tour following Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia.

The Dayton Accords, initiated at the Wright-Patterson US Air Force base near Dayton, Ohio, on Nov. 21, 1995, ended a brutal civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina that resulted in around 100,000 deaths over three-and-a-half years.

Dayton built Bosnia-Herzegovina as a single state, but consisting of two entities – the Croat-Muslim Federation of Bosnia and Republika Srpska – as well as Brcko, a neutral, self-governing canton.

The accords, which were agreed upon by then Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, Bosnia’s Alija Izetbegovic, and Croatian leader Franjo Tudjman, also established several mechanisms that institutionalized Bosnian, Serb, and Croat divisions.

"But under the conditions of that day, I heard this from the late Alija himself, 'We had nothing else to do,' he said, 'We were forced to sign it then'. It means he was not pleased," Erdogan said.

He added the three leaders should make the decision about Bosnia-Herzegovina with an understanding and coming together.

"The unity, solidarity, and integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina is very important. They paid a high price. I hope that from now on, Bosnia-Herzegovina will not pay a price anymore," he added.

- Ties with Croatia

Erdogan said Türkiye and Croatia are allies with "deep-rooted" historical and cultural ties although the countries do not share common borders.

"Our bilateral trade volume surpassed the pre-pandemic level and reached $900 million, recovering strongly last year," he said, stressing that they want to double the figure in the coming period, and then exceed $5 billion.

Türkiye was among the first countries to recognize Croatia's independence when it was declared in 1991.

"Türkiye, as a regional country, closely observes all the developments unfolding in the Balkans and continues to make the necessary contributions accordingly," he added.

Milanovic, for his part, said Ankara and Zagreb enjoy the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

He added that Türkiye stood with Croatia during difficult times in 1991.

Milanovic said the current trade volume between the two countries is low, but they are determined to increase it. He also hailed the Turkish companies investing in Croatia.