Bosnia, as a nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council, took over the one-month rotating chairmanship of the Security Council on 1 January.
The country's presidency, currently chaired by Serb representative Nebojsa Radmanovic, decided in December that only Ambassador Ivan Barbalic would chair Security Council sessions in January and that no other Bosnian higher-ranking officials, including the Foreign Minister, would travel to New York for that purpose.
The reason given for this decision was financial.
"I deem such a decision to be inappropriate," Alkalaj told a news conference in Sarajevo on Wednesday.
Alkalaj said he knew that Radmanovic was opposed to the idea that Bosnia and Herzegovina might use the rotating presidency to promote itself as a country. He stressed that he would definitely respect the decision made by the state leadership, stressing that Bosnia would thus miss the chance for its promotion in the world.
Alkalaj dismissed as ridiculous reasons such as cost-cutting which the office of Nebojsa Radmanovic cited for nonattendance of other Bosnian officials at Security Council sittings.
According to Alkalaj, there is a plan that post-conflict building of institutions be on the agenda of the Council's meeting on 21 January when Bosnia should be pointed out as a successful example for the establishment of institutions in crisis situations.
Amidst news that no higher-ranking Bosnian official will attend that meeting, other potential senior officials cancelled their attendance, too, he said.
Commenting on other items on the Security Council's agenda for January, Alkalaj said that a referendum on possible independence sought by South Sudan would be considered on 9 January.
Also on the agenda will be the issues of Darfur, Nepal, Somalia and Haiti and the situation in the Middle East.
Alkalaj rejected speculations that Palestine was drafting a special resolution to be put on the agenda of the Security Council's meetings in January.