Hungary's PM denounced in Bosnia for anti-Muslim rhetoric

SARAJEVO – Bosnian officials and spiritual leaders connected Wednesday denounced suggestions voiced by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his spokesperson that the integration of Bosnia into the European Union volition beryllium challenging due to the fact that of its ample Muslim population.

Orban’s spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs has tweeted that “the situation with Bosnia is however to integrate a state with 2 cardinal Muslims.”

During his agelong code connected Tuesday successful Budapest, right-wing populist Orban said Hungary supports Bosnia’s EU bid, adding that arsenic an EU member, Hungary had to mobilize a batch of vigor to flooded “the enlargement fatigue that has taken clasp of the European Union.”

“I americium doing my champion to person Europe’s large leaders that the Balkans whitethorn beryllium further distant from them than from Hungary, but however we negociate the information of a authorities successful which 2 cardinal Muslims unrecorded is simply a cardinal contented for their information too.”

Reaction successful Bosnia was sharp, with immoderate Bosniak parties asking for a prohibition connected Orban’s planned authoritative sojourn to Sarajevo and the caput of the Islamic community, Grand Mufti Husein Kavazovic, calling his connection “xenophobic and racist.”

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“If specified ideologies go the ground connected which the policies of a agreed Europe are based, past it takes america backmost to the times erstwhile the European unity was to beryllium physique connected akin fascist, Nazi, convulsive and genocidal ideologies that led to the Holocaust and different horrific crimes,” helium said successful a statement.

The Bosniak subordinate of the country’s tripartite presidency, Sefik Dzaferovic, called Orban’s connection “shameful and rude.”

“It is not a situation for the EU to integrate 2 cardinal (Bosnian) Muslims, due to the fact that we are an indigenous European radical who person ever lived present and we are Europeans,” helium said.

Bosnia, which is made up of Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats, is going done its gravest governmental situation since the extremity of the civilian warfare successful the 1990s. With tacit enactment from Russia and Serbia, Bosnian Serbs are threatening to signifier their ain army, judiciary and taxation authority, reviving fears of different bloody breakup of the Balkan country.

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During his code connected Tuesday, Orban besides said Hungary wouldn't enactment EU sanctions against Bosnian Serb person Milorad Dodik arsenic threatened by Germany and immoderate different subordinate states due to the fact that of his separatist stands.

“Sarajevo has mislaid its nerve, it is attacking everyone -- Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, present Hungary. Not to notation Russia,” Dodik said Wednesday, referring to enactment helium has allegedly received from those countries.

Orban has been known for his anti-migration policies, claiming Muslim migrants are the top menace to Europe’s Christian values. He has besides been supporting speedy accession of Serbia into the EU contempt the progressively autocratic policies of his ally, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

More than 100,000 radical were killed and millions were near stateless during the 1992-95 warfare successful Bosnia erstwhile Bosnian Serbs tried to make ethnically axenic territories successful bid to articulation them with neighboring Serbia.

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Associated Press writers Dusan Stojanovic successful Belgrade, Serbia, and Justin Spike successful Budapest, Hungary, contributed to this report.

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