The member of the BiH Presidency, Denis Bećirović, spoke in the respected Austrian independent newspaper Der Standard about the deterioration of the security situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina due to the anti-constitutional and anti-Dayton actions of the president of the entity of the RS, the previous engagement and extension of the EUFOR mission in BiH, as well as the role of the ALTHEA mission in preserving peace, security and stability in BiH, as well as the Western Balkans region.
Bećirović said, among other things, in Der Standard that “the engagement of EUFOR in BiH so far, especially in terms of support in maintaining a safe and peaceful environment, was important for the stable political, economic and social development of the state of BiH”, Bećirović said.
According to him, taking into account the newly emerging geopolitical circumstances, caused by the brutal Russian aggression against Ukraine, the decision to extend the EUFOR mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina proved extremely important and justified.
“The executive mandate of the ALTHEA mission, which is of great importance for peace, security and stability, not only in BiH, but also in the Western Balkans region, proved to be essential. In Dayton, NATO was given a clear task of preserving peace in BiH by an international agreement. This is currently being implemented through the EUFOR mission. According to the agreement, these forces, among other things, have a mandate to ensure the peace, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as to stop all destructive forces that threaten the General Framework Agreement for Peace in BiH, with broad powers that include the use of the necessary forces, when necessary,” said Bećirović.
Unfortunately, he said, security and peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina are seriously threatened by the dangerous pro-Russian and separatist policy of the President of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s entity of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik.
“He openly started the anti-Dayton and unconstitutional dismantling of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Peace in BiH and the region is seriously threatened. It is the last hour to stop the spread of the Ukrainian crisis on the territory of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and thus on the southeast of Europe. Bearing in mind the latest dangerous anti-constitutional decisions of the entities of the Republika Srpska entity, with the aim of timely action and prevention of possible negative consequences, and preservation of stability and security in BiH and the Western Balkan region, the urgent deployment of additional and significantly stronger EUFOR forces in Bosnia is extremely important and Herzegovina, in the shortest possible time. I believe that the new EUFOR troops should primarily be deployed in the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in other strategic areas,” said Bećirović.
