Although Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has been a full-fledged member of the United Nations (UN) since 1992, formal diplomatic relations have still not been established with eight UN member states. These are the states Papua New Guinea, Bhutan, Lesotho, Madagascar, Nauru, Palau, Kiribati, and the Central African Republic.
BiH enjoys full international subjectivity confirmed by membership, but the fact that formal diplomatic relations have still not been established with several countries reflects a series of technical, political, and strategic circumstances. They do not have a substantial influence on the global status of BiH, but still open space for carefully led diplomatic initiatives and rational directing of foreign policy resources.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH confirms that all UN member states recognize BiH, since admission to membership was carried out by unanimous proposal of the Security Council and the consensus of the UN General Assembly on May 22nd, 1992.
“BiH has not yet formally established diplomatic relations with eight UN member states. There is currently a written confirmation of readiness to establish diplomatic relations with Papua New Guinea and Palau, and work is being done on arranging formalities regarding the ceremony of signing joint statements,” they stated from the Ministry.
They add that in the case of the remaining six states, it is not a matter of non-recognition of BiH, but internal reasons specific to each country.
“Some UN member states have a special approach to this issue. For example, the permanent representative of Bhutan informed that their king approves the formal establishment of diplomatic relations only with states where there is a special economic or political potential for deepening relations. This by no means means that Bhutan does not recognize BiH as a sovereign state and UN member,” they emphasized.
In some cases, they add from the Ministry, the formal establishment of diplomatic relations is not even a sign of recognition, because certain states, such as Palau, Nauru, and Papua New Guinea, have not signed or have not yet ratified the Vienna Convention.
“Some states do not even have a permanent representative in New York, which for a longer period was the case with the state of Kiribati, while other small states have one diplomat, so they do not have the capacity to deal with the formal establishment of bilateral relations in addition to intensive multilateral affairs within the UN,” they explain from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH.
Diplomat Nedim Makarevic, former ambassador of BiH in Norway and Iceland, considers that the reasons for the nonexistence of recognition or formal relations are not unambiguous.
“In some cases, it is a matter of political circumstances and geostrategic interests, and in others of technical issues that simply remained unresolved from the time immediately after the breakup of the former Yugoslavia,” says Makarevic.
He emphasizes that BiH today has full international subjectivity, recognized statehood, and all attributes that accompany a sovereign state.
“We are a member of the UN, we have a developed diplomatic network and partnerships around the world, and our reputation in international institutions is stable. I believe that the process of complete recognition by the remaining states will be a natural continuation of the diplomatic maturation of our region,” he states.
Makarevic points out that the key is that BiH continues to build the image of a serious, stable, and predictable partner – through economic results, diplomatic presence, and openness to cooperation – and emphasizes that in diplomacy, trust and credibility are the strongest currencies.
BiH has, according to his words, during the years on several occasions tried to formally establish diplomatic relations with countries that still have not recognized it.
“Such initiatives were mostly launched through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH, and through the mediation of partner states and international organizations. In most cases, BiH sent notes and formal requests to establish diplomatic relations, but responses were either delayed, absent, or contained cautious diplomatic formulations, especially when it came to states that have close relations with Serbia or special political positions on recognizing post-Yugoslav states,” said Makarevic, emphasizing that none of these states has expressed a hostile stance toward BiH.
He considers that it is primarily a matter of inactivity and priorities of their foreign policy, rather than open non-recognition, and underlines that non-recognition of BiH by a handful of states has more symbolic than substantial influence on the international position of our country.
However, the political and diplomatic aspect of that non-recognition has a certain weight.
“It shows that there are certain states that have still not updated their foreign policy acts from the 1990s, or that have special relations with Serbia and avoid the formal act of recognition for political reasons. Such a status can have a limited effect in the sphere of bilateral relations, for example, BiH cannot exchange ambassadors nor sign bilateral agreements with those countries,” he said.
Makarevic also reflected on the question of Kosovo, emphasizing that non-recognition of Kosovo has a certain reflection on the international image of BiH, especially in the eyes of Western partners.
“Although BiH formally respects the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, the fact that it has not recognized Kosovo is often interpreted as the result of internal political blockades, and not as a consistent foreign policy position. Because of that, BiH, in the eyes of many Western countries, appears insufficiently aligned with the common European and transatlantic policy, which sometimes limits its perception as a reliable partner in the region. On the other hand, BiH strives to maintain a balanced approach without endangering relations with Serbia, while at the same time nurturing exceptionally good relations with Pristina through economic and social contacts,” concluded Makarevic.
Professor Nedzma Dzananovic Mirascija from the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo, who teaches the subjects Diplomacy and Diplomacy in the 21st century, emphasizes that non-recognition of BiH by a significant number of states could have usual consequences, such as the impossibility of achieving bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, education, culture and security, as well as the lack of support in multilateral forums.
“By membership in the UN, our international-legal subjectivity is definitively and irreversibly confirmed, because that is the highest form of international recognition. The legal and political identity of BiH is unquestionable and globally accepted. That is why it was possible during the war to talk about internal organization, but not about changing the borders of the state,” said Dzananovic Mirascija.
She emphasized that the diplomatic resources of every country must be strategically focused.
“In that sense, establishing and maintaining diplomatic relations with states that do not have significant political power in international organizations, do not represent potential partners in terms of trade, investments or development aid, nor have cultural or strategic connectedness with BiH, can be considered unjustified spending of limited resources,” emphasizes Dzananovic Mirascija and adds that recognition, with or without the establishment of diplomatic relations with those states, represents an act of diplomatic courtesy, a sort of act of politeness between states.
The professor also emphasizes the importance of reciprocity in international relations and explains that one should not lose sight of the fact of duality, because obviously, those states, on their side, do not show interest in establishing relations either.
On the other hand, Nedim Makarevic considers that BiH has room for strategic action and strengthening its diplomatic status.
“BiH should, above all, strengthen institutional coordination of foreign policy and act with a unified voice toward the world. That means that the Presidency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the diplomatic-consular network must have clearly defined joint priorities,” said Makarevic.
According to his words, BiH should expand its diplomatic presence – not only through opening new embassies and consulates, but also through active economic and cultural representation in states that are geopolitically or economically relevant, such as Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.
“It is necessary to modernize the diplomatic apparatus through professionalization of personnel, digital diplomacy, and strengthening economic diplomacy, because today’s diplomacy does not rely solely on protocol, but also on investments, technology, and networks of influence. BiH should proactively use membership in international organizations – the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, EBRD- to promote its interests and build alliances,” says Makarevic.
He considers that such an approach would enable BiH to move from a country that reacts to a country that initiates, which is a key prerequisite for strengthening its international position.
“There is a real possibility that some of the remaining states that have not yet recognized BiH will do so in the coming period, especially through multilateral channels and diplomatic mediation of friendly countries. Some of these states are Thailand or Papua New Guinea, and they are already in certain phases, informally confirming readiness to update their foreign policy status toward BiH, but this has so far not been translated into a formal decision or bilateral act. Such recognition would have more symbolic than substantial effect, because BiH already enjoys international subjectivity, but it would strengthen the diplomatic credibility of the country and show that BiH leads an active, and not reactive, foreign policy,” stated the former diplomat.
In conclusion, the interlocutors agree that although the nonexistence of formal diplomatic relations with a smaller number of UN member states does not endanger the international status of BiH, a strategic approach, institutional coordination, and diplomatic initiative can contribute to strengthening its global presence, credibility, and ability to shape regional and international processes, N1 writes.
