BELGRADE (Sputnik) — Bakir Izetbegovic, the member of the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Monday criticized Czech President Milos Zeman's statement that terrorists could create a base in the Balkan country, stressing that it was a "dangerous lie."
On Sunday, Zeman stated that militants fleeing to Europe after the defeat of the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia) in Iraq and Syria could create a terrorist base in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"The Czech president spreads dangerous untruth about Bosnia and Herzegovina without any reason, and especially about the Bosniaks… The goal of such statements is to poison the European community with false ideas about Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially about its citizens of the Islamic faith," Izetbegovic said, as quoted by the N1 broadcaster.
A similar criticism has been voiced by Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Igor Crnadak, who said that Zeman's claims were groundless.
According to the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 116 Bosnian citizens are currently members of various terrorist organizations.