In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), there are different opinions on many important issues, including security aspects in the context of geopolitical changes caused by Russian aggression against Ukraine.
A delegation from the Subcommittee for Security and Defense and the Committee for Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament is in BiH where it is discussing the political and security situation and global and regional challenges with local officials and representatives of the international community. The task of the delegation is to assess the military operation of EUFOR (European Security Forces), which has taken over the peace stabilization mission in BiH. Analysts present conflicting views on the possibilities of EUFOR and assess that the challenges of European forces in BiH after the Russian aggression against Ukraine have a new dimension.
Due to internal relations and divided views on the Russian attack on Ukraine – following the example of Russian allies in the Republika Srpska (RS) it is called a “special military operation”, while in the Federation of BiH (FBiH) the terms “aggression” or “invasion” are more often used – BiH is it is more of a threat to itself than someone threatening it from the outside, Milos Solaja, director of the Banja Luka Center for International Relations, told.
EUFOR serves only Europeans?
At the moment, he does not see security challenges for BiH that could be caused by Russian aggression against Ukraine, and if such threats did exist, the EUFOR mission in BiH “would not be able to suppress or control them”. The EUFOR mission in BiH has long served only the Europeans, so that they can show that they are a pillar of security, even though that mission, even after its latest expansion, has had no special effects,” Solaja says.
According to the professor from Banja Luka, the European influence on security processes in BiH is minimal. “EUFOR does not have a precise strategy or a satisfactory personnel and organizational framework, and as such it cannot influence anything in BiH,” mentioned Solaja. According to his opinion, BiH must rely on its own internal forces and “build its own defense and security policy” on those relations. But BiH has problems in conducting an effective security policy precisely on the internal level and due to internal political disagreements, according to analysts from the FBiH.
Reserve European forces can arrive in BiH in 48 to 72 hours
Unlike Solaja, the military-political analyst from Sarajevo Djuro Kozar believes that EUFOR can make a significant contribution to the establishment of a stable security environment. He reminds that EUFOR’s operation ALTHEA is the longest military operation of the European Union (EU) and “the only one with an executive mandate to use force”. “EUFOR has been deployed in BiH since 2004. From the original 7,000 soldiers, their capacity was reduced with the improvement of the security situation in the country and now, after recent reinforcements, there are a total of 1,100 permanent soldiers,” says Kozar.
He notes that EUFOR soldiers do not have heavy weapons, but that their command in Butmir near Sarajevo can call for the intervention of reserve forces in Alliance members. “Those forces could operate in BiH in 48 to 72 hours and eliminate all possible incidents. How that would look in practice is shown every year at the multinational exercise ‘Quick Response’. Of course, it is better that this plan for the protection of BiH is never implemented, but it is good that it exists”, says Kozar.
Illegal migrations
Members of the Subcommittee for Security and Defense and the Committee for Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament, who ended their visit to BiH on Thursday (February 23rd), spoke with domestic and international officials in BiH, and welcomed the “joint commitment” to preserve peace and BiH’s European path. EUFOR Commander Austrian General Helmut Habermayer appreciates the Subcommittee members’ interest in the EUFOR mission and the security situation in BiH and requested that the Subcommittee continue to support and strengthen the EU’s commitment to a safe environment for all peoples in BiH. BiH Security Minister Nenad Nesic informed the Europeans about the security situation in BiH, noting that illegal migration is a “big security challenge” for BiH, but also for all the countries of the region, DW reports.
E.Dz.
