Moscow does not strive for the stability and prosperity of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the United States (U.S.) Embassy in BiH told Radio Free Europe (RFE) in response to an April 13th announcement by the Russian Embassy.
In a Facebook post, Russia said responsibility for possible destabilization in BiH “falls on representatives of the international community.”
U.S. on ‘unfortunate’ Republika Srpska (RS) decisions
The U.S. Embassy says that “stability [in BiH] is achieved by working within institutions, and not by boycotting or blocking them.”
”It is unfortunate that the leaders of RS refused to engage constructively on the issue of state property, but instead decided on anti-Dayton, unconstitutional, and unilateral steps,” the Embassy stated, RSE writes.
Blockades and boycotts
In July last year, political representatives from the RS jointly decided not to participate in the work of state institutions, after former High Representative for BiH Valentin Inzko imposed changes to the BiH Criminal Code that banned the denial of genocide and other war crimes and the glorification of war criminals.
This included a boycott of the work of the BiH Presidency, the BiH Council of Ministers, and the BiH Parliament, except “when it is in the interest of the RS.”
In the meantime, the entity authorities have begun an unconstitutional process of transferring competencies from the BiH level to the entity level in the areas of justice, tax and excise, as well as defense and security.
The decision to put state property on the entity list, which Schmidt stopped, is just one in a series of contradictions to the basic documents of the state of BiH.
Cooperation between Dodik and Russia
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Milorad Dodik has been against any sanctions against Russia, and he believed that BiH should remain neutral on that issue – although he told reporters on February 28th that he “respects the territorial integrity of all United Nations (UN) members, including Ukraine.”
Dodik and Putin last met in the Kremlin on December 2nd last year, and a day later, Dodik spoke in Saint Petersburg with Alexey Miller, director of the Russian energy giant Gazprom.
The two of them then, among other things, discussed attempts to return competencies from the BiH level to the RS level, Dodik informed the Russian leader that RS has no intention of moving towards NATO, while Putin assured Dodik that Moscow would not support Schmidt’s appointment.
What are the chances of destabilization?
Political analyst Adnan Huskic believes that the room for maneuver for destabilization in BiH is limited.
Huskic estimates that Dodik’s moves ultimately caused the West’s unity and agile approach to the issue of BiH, the arrival of another High Representative, and the re-use of – until recently dead – Bonn powers.
Ivana Stradner, a research associate at the American Entrepreneurship Institute in Washington, told RFE on April 8th that Russia does not need tanks in the Western Balkans, but only additional tension to keep the region unstable.
”The Western Balkans is not a priority for Russia, but it is always a good card to play with the West because ethnic tensions have risen so much that fire can always be ignited,”Stradner pointed out.
E. Dz.
