Bosnia and Herzegovina must join NATO without delay, Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bisera Turkovic told Newsweek.
In her review of the situation in BiH, Minister Turkovic called on the United States to support Bosnia and Herzegovina in joining NATO as soon as possible in order to get out of the political crisis between ethnic groups in the country, which threatens to reignite the war.
Tensions among Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats—the three largest ethnic groups—may collapse the power-sharing system adopted in 1995 to end the Bosnian War, which was one of the Yugoslav Wars.
With Russia—traditionally a backer of the region’s Serb population—looming over Bosnia’s difficulties, Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic told Newsweek that the country’s long-time bid for NATO and European Union membership is more urgent than ever.
“The crisis we are currently in perhaps is the best indication of why Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to enter the security alliance as soon as possible, which will permanently guarantee peace in this part of the world,” Turković said.
The system—set out in the 1995 Dayton Agreement—has prevented a return to the brutal civil war of the 1990s, but according to critics has also entrenched the ethnic divisions that spurred past conflicts.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is made up of two parts; the Republika Srpska dominated by ethnic Serbs, and the Croat-Bosniak-dominated Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The country is headed by a three-member presidency with one from each of the major ethnic groups.
The system—set out in the 1995 Dayton Agreement—has prevented a return to the brutal civil war of the 1990s, but according to critics has also entrenched the ethnic divisions that spurred past conflicts.
Milorad Dodik is the Serb presidential representative. In recent months, the 62-year-old has dismissed Bosnia as an “impossible” and “failed” country.
Dodik is also threatening to withdraw the Republika Srpska from national Bosnian institutions, including the armed forces. The threat of a revived ethnic Serb army is enough to set alarm bells ringing across the Balkans.
He appears to be banking on further backing from Moscow. When threatening to force all Bosnian armed forces out of the Republika Srpska last month, Dodik said he had “friends” who would support such an operation—an apparent reference to Serbia and Russia.
Moscow has also been engaging in more direct meddling. The mandate of the 700-strong EU peacekeeping force in Bosnia was up for renewal at the UN security council this week, a proposal Moscow threatened to oppose before eventually acquiescing at Wednesday’s vote.
For NATO and the EU, instability in Bosnia is an open door for Russia. For Putin, chaos and conflict is both a Russian opportunity and a drain on the European and American adversaries who will be forced to handle the fallout.
Turkovic told Newsweek that Bosnia and Herzegovina strive for good relations with all countries, including Russia.” But she added that is no reason to reverse Bosnia’s decision to look West rather than East.
“Russia made it clear that it does not support NATO membership for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we noticed that,” she said.
However, we are a sovereign and independent state, and we have democratic institutions that decide about our future based on the will of the people. Our laws and strategic documents envisage future NATO membership.
“I want to believe that the Russian Federation also has such intentions and that it is ready to respect the Dayton Peace Agreement, institutions, democracy, and the will of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s citizens,” she stressed.
BiH Foreign Minister stated that the current tensions inside her country, while serious, should not undermine 25 years of peace and development.
“Bosnia and Herzegovina has come a long way since the war ended in the 1990s. We have seen more than 25 years of progress which has entailed hard compromises, reforms and billions of dollars invested, including from the international community for reconstruction and peace implementation,” she said.
Turković told Newsweek that U.S. engagement will be vital in averting crisis.
“We welcome the stronger and more intense U.S. role in the Balkans,” she said.
She blamed opportunistic anti-Western politics for the instability.
“Differences in Bosnia and Herzegovina are not a problem, the problem is very specific, clear, and identified politics that do not want Bosnia and Herzegovina to reach an irreversible phase on the path to EU and NATO membership,” Turkovic said.
“Because that would, once for all, bury the war-time genocidal goals of some to destroy Bosnia and Herzegovina as a state and divide it between the neighboring states,” Minister Turkovic concluded.
