The head of diplomacy of the European Union, Kaja Kallas, commented on the news of the resignation of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, at a press conference today, ahead of the informal meeting of ministers for European affairs, saying that this could complicate the functioning of the country.
- When it comes to Bosnia and Herzegovina – of course we talked about the announced resignation of the High Representative, Christian Schmidt. The ministers agree that it is in the EU’s interest not to allow the country to deviate from its EU path and that we must stick together when it comes to Schmidt’s successor – said Kallas.
She added that this is why the ministers discussed how to support the process.
- The new High Representative is appointed by the Peace Implementation Council, which should happen, I think, in June. This is a format that Europe supports – said Kallas, reported N1.
The head of European diplomacy also warned of the growing Russian hybrid influence in the Western Balkans and said that the EU wants to prevent Bosnia and Herzegovina from moving away from the European path.
She highlighted that the Western Balkan countries are increasingly concerned about foreign hybrid influence, specifically referring to Russia.
- The Western Balkans are a strategic priority for the EU and this morning we met with our Western Balkan partners and discussed various topics. The ministers gave political consent to expand cooperation with Western Balkan partners in the areas of foreign policy, defence and security. This specifically means more EU support against hybrid threats, disinformation and a new security partnership with Montenegro and greater use of the European Peace Facility to strengthen the security capacities of our partners – Kallas stated.
She expressed her expectation for further implementation of reforms, respect for the rule of law and clear alignment with the foreign and security policy of the European Union.
