Embassy of Russia to Bosnia and Herzegovina commented on a statement by the PIC Steering Board, stating its disagreement with the OHR’s assessment of the seriousness of the situation and the actual ways out proposed by OHR and PIC.
“We start from the fact that the issue of government formation of the BiH institutions after the elections last year is exclusively urgent. Uncertainty paralyzes the work of institutions, the country is going through a deep political crisis that affects the well-being of citizens, hinders the implementation of necessary reforms, damages the international position of BiH,” Embassy of Russia assessed in a written comment.
The Peace Implementation Council Steering Board (PIC SB) has agreed on Friday to encourage that the political dialogue that would lead to the formation of authorities at all levels and facilitate unconditional progress towards reforms that are consistent with existing policy goals and commitments. In this context, the PIC SB calls upon political leaders to not undertake actions that would undermine, weaken, or inhibit the proper functioning of state institutions.
In this vein, the PIC SB reaffirms its position that entities and institutions must abide by existing legislation and legally binding arrangements. Reforms such as the defense reform, creation of a single HJPC at the state level, and creation of state-level indirect tax authorities were carried out with the full support of the entity and state-level parliaments. The BiH Constitution, existing legislation and integrity of state-level institutions must be fully respected.
The PIC SB wants to see BiH make progress and perform to its full potential on its reform path – in close cooperation and with the support of the international community.
