Official request for overflight clearance for Serbian government aircraft submitted on 11 September

The Government of the Republic of Serbia rejects the claims made by Bosnia and Herzegovina Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmedin Konaković that the request for overflight clearance for the Government of the Republic of Serbia aircraft, on which Prime Minister in a caretaker capacity Professor Đuro Macut, MD, DSc, together with ministers, was due to travel to Banja Luka for the observance of the Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom and the National Flag, was submitted only a few minutes before the planned departure.

The official request for overflight clearance was submitted as early as 11 September, more than 72 hours before the planned flight, when the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sarajevo forwarded the request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In line with the usual procedures followed to date, the request contained all the details of the planned flight, including notification of the exact departure and return times from Banja Luka. The flight from Belgrade had been scheduled for 17:00.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia considers Minister Konaković's claims to be false and highly malicious, and believes that they in no way contribute to good neighbourly relations or to the advancement of regional cooperation.