The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković, requested 15 days ago from the former President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, to return his diplomatic passport of BiH. The deadline for returning the passport expired today, September 3, and Dodik refused to act on the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to the information of the Raport, Dodik’s diplomatic passport was automatically canceled today and declared invalid. Minister Konaković sent the request after Dodik was finally stripped of his mandate as President of the RS by a decision of the Court of BiH, which became final on August 18.
The letter sent to Dodik states: “Considering that the provisions of Article 9, paragraph (1) of the Rules on Issuance of Diplomatic Passports stipulate that the holder of a diplomatic passport, whose capacity on the basis of which he acquired the right to that passport has ceased, is obliged to return the passport within 15 days from the date of cessation of the capacity, we call on the appointed person to return the diplomatic passport.”
To date, Dodik has nevertheless used a diplomatic passport, including on three trips to Serbia. He will now be able to travel only with an ordinary passport, without diplomatic privileges.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will inform the BiH Border Police and the diplomatic and consular network that the passport has been cancelled and that Dodik will not be able to cross the state border with it.
Former Republika Srpska Prime Minister Radovan Višković also remains without a diplomatic passport after the RS National Assembly dismissed him from office. He, like Dodik, is obliged to return his passport to the competent ministry.
