The exclusion of Russia from the international SWIFT payment system, which, after Iran, became only the second country in the world to be imposed such a measure, reopened the question of the possibility of introducing the same measures for the entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Republika Srpska (RS).
Late last year, while everyone still believed that tensions on the Ukrainian-Russian border could still be resolved peacefully, High Representative to BiH Christian Schmidt tried to find a solution to tackle increasingly fierce attacks by SNSD leader and BiH Presidency member Milorad Dodik on BiH’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Namely, the crisis that intensified in our country after Inzko’s amendment to the BiH Criminal Code, which punishes denial of genocide and all convicted war crimes, encouraged Dodik to take steps that, for the first time since the signing of the Dayton Agreement, called into question the foundations of BiH.
The United States (U.S.) has responded with sanctions against him, his aides, and the media under his apparent control, but the European Union (EU) has not joined the measures. Schmidt, however, announced the possibility of financially sanctioning Dodik if he does not stop the process of transferring thecompetencies and does not change his rhetoric.
Late last year, Schmidt, commenting on a statement by German Foreign Minister Annalene Bearbock on the need to impose sanctions on Dodik, said classic sanctions were not the only instrument.
“It is conceivable that every payment that arrives in BiH or one of its institutions is conditioned,” said Schmidt, which gives the first association to any expert on geopolitical and economic relations the exclusion of the SWIFT system.
Although this sounded like a rigorous measure at the time, which was unlikely to be implemented, the current situation on the field shows that it has not yet been rejected. On the contrary.
If we look at the situation in the EU, which was current at the time, we can freely say that, primarily due to the opposition of Hungary, but also Croatia, there was no possibility for a consensus on the introduction of sanctions against Dodik. However, some “new winds” are obviously blowing in Hungary and Croatia these days. The rhetoric coming from official Zagreb about the accelerated accession of BiH to the EU, and Orban’s statement that Hungary will not veto EU sanctions against Russia, show that Europe is more united than ever.
This is not good news for Dodik and the accompanying clique from RS, since he has confirmed in recent moves to Europe that he is a true “Putin player” in the Balkans. Those who believe that financial flows from the RS should be prevented from usingthe SWIFT platform are becoming louder. That would practically cripple them, at least when it comes to international transactions.
E.Dz.
Source: Klix.ba
