Numerous reactions have followed the decision by Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Foreign Minister Elmedin Konaković to declare two Serbian diplomatic officials undesirable in Bosnia and Herzegovina, following the state-sponsored glorification of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić at his funeral in Belgrade.
Konaković declared Milan Dulanović, the military attaché at the Embassy of Serbia in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Darko Maksimović, an adviser to the representative of Serbia’s Security Intelligence Agency (BIA), undesirable persons in BiH.
The decision has further strained relations between Sarajevo and Belgrade. Konaković said he acted in accordance with the Rulebook on the Method of Declaring an Undesirable and Unacceptable Person, adopted by the BiH Presidency in 2004.
According to Konaković, Serbia crossed a “red line” by honoring Mladić, who was convicted of genocide and other war crimes.
“I will decide how many employees will remain at the Embassy of Serbia in Bosnia and Herzegovina, that is my responsibility. Željka Cvijanović does not know the regulations, let her read the decision of the Presidency signed by Čović and let her not hide behind incorrect interpretations. We will no longer tolerate this behavior of Serbia,” Konaković said.
Member of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović sharply criticized the decision, arguing that Konaković exceeded his authority and that his actions do not represent the position of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a whole.
“Konaković is fiddling with competences that he does not have. The Presidency, which is in charge of foreign policy, has no competence and it is the one that will decide whether or not you have diplomatic relations, and the Presidency decides on ambassadors, whether they will be withdrawn from abroad or not,” Cvijanović said.
She also argued that decisions concerning military attachés fall under the authority of the Council of Ministers rather than the Foreign Minister acting independently.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said Serbia would respond, but stressed that it would not do so through what he described as “hysterical reactions.”
“There will be a measure of reciprocity, but slowly we have to take care of Bosniaks in our country. There are 200,000 of them in Serbia and we don’t want to send messages to Bosniaks in Serbia like Sarajevo sends to Banja Luka and our people living in Republika Srpska,” Vučić said.
Meanwhile, officials from the Federation of BiH defended Konaković’s move, stressing that the glorification of convicted war criminals undermines reconciliation and regional relations.
“When you deny the crime and insult the victims, it is a policy that is the opposite of something called a policy of reconciliation and unity, for which everyone in the region is ready, obviously the regime in Belgrade is not ready, and the regime in Banja Luka is following,” said BiH Minister of Communications and Transport Edin Forto.
Dragan Čović, Chairman of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, also stressed the importance of confronting the past.
“Until we clear up with history, we will be buried in the mud of the past, which is not good. The criminal code is clear, we either respect it or we don’t respect it. It is clearly written there what is the relationship of everyone when it comes to crime,” Čović said.
The European Union and the United Nations have also condemned the glorification of Mladić.
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos described Mladić as a war criminal convicted of genocide and said his glorification was unacceptable.
“Ratko Mladić was a war criminal and convicted of genocide. Glorification after his death is unacceptable. That’s why I decided not to go to Belgrade so that I could look into the eyes of the mothers of Srebrenica who lost their family members,” Kos said.
Chaloka Beyani, UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide, said the public commemoration of Mladić was “deeply inappropriate and extremely disturbing.”
“The public commemoration of Mladić’s image and deeds on a large scale, including the participation of political officials and official ceremonies, is deeply inappropriate and extremely disturbing. This relativizes serious crimes according to international law and insults the dignity and experiences of victims, survivors and their families,” Beyani said.
Croatia has also announced political moves towards Serbia following Mladić’s funeral in Belgrade.
Analysts note that reciprocal diplomatic measures are common in international relations. However, foreign policy analyst from Belgrade Boško Jakšić believes Vučić could choose a different approach.
“There is a possibility to deviate from this usual practice and for President Vučić to use this unpleasant situation to capitalize, not to expel the two diplomats of Bosnia and Herzegovina from Belgrade and to present himself as a very tolerant man who cares about good relations with Sarajevo,” Jakšić said.
Former BiH ambassador Draško Aćimović, meanwhile, criticized Konaković’s decision as diplomatically unnecessary, arguing that diplomatic concerns are traditionally addressed through established channels.
“If you want to draw the attention of another country, you call their ambassador for a conversation. It’s a kind of protocol that needs to be followed and you express your concerns and what you have to say to him. This can cause big consequences,” Aćimović said.
Before the latest decision involving Serbian diplomats, Bosnia and Herzegovina had officially expelled only three foreign diplomatic officials: two Iranian diplomats and the ambassador of Guinea-Bissau.
The latest move therefore represents a significant escalation in diplomatic tensions between Sarajevo and Belgrade, with the possibility of reciprocal measures from Serbia adding further uncertainty to relations between the two countries.
