The government of Republika Srpska (RS) has submitted its 35th report to the United Nations (UN) Security Council, expressing its consistent support for the Dayton Agreement and the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also harshly criticizing the work of the High Representative in BiH, Christian Schmidt.
In the report, which was published on its official website, the entity government confirmed “the unwavering commitment of Republika Srpska to peace and resolving divisions in BiH through dialogue”, assessing that RS is “firmly convinced that respecting the Dayton Constitution is the only path to the successful functioning of BiH”.
“The problem, however, lies in the fact that certain key actors, both inside and outside BiH, do not accept the Dayton compromise, but rather strive for centralization and a unitary state structure, which would abolish the protection mechanisms provided for by Dayton, which have enabled the constituent peoples of BiH to live in peace for thirty years,” the document states.
They assessed that the Office of the High Representative (OHR) “has been undermining the democratic constitutional order in BiH for decades, governing the country through clearly illegal decisions and implementing centralization contrary to the federal constitutional structure of the state.”
As stated in the report, the presence of the High Representative, “an unelected foreign official who assumes unlimited powers and operates outside the democratic constitutional institutions of BiH, has deformed and collapsed the political system in the country.”
“The current usurper of the office of the High Representative, Christian Schmidt, has proven to be even more destructive and autocratic than his predecessors in the OHR,” the report emphasizes.
It further indicates that “the Bosniak political establishment, due to its refusal to accept the position of the RS established by Dayton, persistently seeks to undermine and destabilize the RS.”
At the end of the report, it is assessed that for BiH to be successful, the Dayton Agreement must be respected by all relevant actors, be it politicians in BiH or foreign powers.
“Republika Srpska calls on the UN Security Council and its members to advocate for the consistent implementation of the Dayton Agreement, including respect for the right to self-governance, in accordance with the Constitution of BiH,” the document, signed by entity Prime Minister Savo Minić, concludes.
