Friendly advice, good and sincere intentions from official Zagreb and Belgrade are on display for the public, but behind the scenes, there is interference in Bosnian and Herzegovinian (BiH) affairs. Domestic reactions are never lacking, but concrete actions to address such behavior are absent. While internal political issues should be resolved within BiH, they always become a central topic in neighboring countries. Political officials from Belgrade and Zagreb never hide the fact that BiH is an important foreign policy factor for these countries.
“Serbia is always to blame, Belgrade is always to blame,” said Aleksandar Vucic, President of Serbia (June 8th, 2024).
And Aleksandar Vucic always succeeds in using the old recipe – turning from a culprit into a victim. Declaratively committed to peace, his goal, as he claims, is merely to protect the interests of the Serbian people. In practice, however, it’s a different story. What’s evident is the raising of national tensions. Proof of this is the so-called All-Serbian Assembly held under the slogan “One people, one assembly – Serbia and Srpska,” during which the two governments jointly adopted the “Declaration on the Protection of National and Political Rights and the Common Future of the Serbian People.” In the spirit of the future and strengthening ties, Vucic also organized a tourist arrangement – for politicians, but also for children.
“From now on, every minister in the Government of Serbia, the first place they will visit will be Banja Luka, not anywhere else. Every minister in the Government of Republika Srpska (RS) – the first place they will visit is Belgrade. From now on, school trips from RS will go to Serbia, and from Serbia to RS. And once we get to know Serbia and RS, then we can get to know the world,” said Aleksandar Vucic, President of Serbia (June 8th, 2024).
And the world is also familiar with the unfulfilled desire of many, especially Aleksandar Vulin, for a “Serbian World.” It’s important to note that Vulin, the loudest advocate of the thesis “all Serbs in one state,” is under United States (U.S.) sanctions due to corrupt and destabilizing activities that enabled Russian malign influence in the Balkans. Yet, this does not stop him, and he seizes every opportunity to advocate for all-Serbian unity.
“We said that Serbs will take care of Serbs, we said that Serbs will have a common future because they are one,” said Aleksandar Vulin, Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia (November 21st, 2024).
Both are facing real problems. However, political elites focus on diverting attention from pressing economic and societal issues and spinning narratives for the public. Without raising tensions and keeping citizens in constant fear of “the other,” they would have nothing else to offer. In a somewhat gentler tone, accompanied by inevitable messages of support and friendship, subtle threats and interference come from official Zagreb as well. Recently, a provocative statement by the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament in Mostar caused a public uproar. Friends don’t threaten each other. Or do they?
“It seems to me that if there is no constitutionality and equality, then there will be no BiH,” said Gordan Jandrokovic, Speaker of the Croatian Parliament (November 28th, 2024).
And Jandrokovic is not alone. In Croatia, Plenkovic and Milanovic are fierce rivals, but when it comes to BiH, their views are similar.
“If Croatia is the one bringing gas to BiH from the south, hence the name Southern Gas Interconnection, shouldn’t it then take care of the interests of the Croatian people in BiH in a reasonable, functional, and pragmatic way? And not to pass laws that differ from what the political representatives of Croatian parties and the Coalition of the Three parties agreed on. That’s not right,” said Andrej Plenkovic, Prime Minister of Croatia (December 13th, 2024).
“The status of Croats in BiH is precarious. They are being deceived, their rights are being taken away, and the gas interconnection is just an example of what happens when someone like Dragan Covic, who isn’t my political ally, gets labeled by the U.S. embassy as a Russian agent. A Russian agent. That’s how you end up if you’re not submissive,” said Zoran Milanovic, President of Croatia (December 24th, 2024).
To prevent the loss of power, official Zagreb, along with the party politics driving it, uses completely distorted interpretations of key concepts, imposed in the public sphere. Just as they won’t back down from interfering in the Southern Gas Interconnection, they’ve never abandoned meddling in the amendments to BiH’s Election Law. Numerous examples from the past and present show that BiH and its citizens do not control the processes in their own country; instead, their neighbors do.
