The Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina (SBiH) said that Milorad Dodik knew in advance about the departure of the high representative to BiH Christian Schmidt, while the member of the Presidency of BiH Denis Bećirović, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmedin Konaković and Ambassador Zlatko Lagumdžija, as they state, knew nothing about the process that changes the political image of BiH.
“Information about the possible resignation of High Representative Christian Schmidt, if proven to be true, represents a serious political and international event that requires full transparency towards the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The fact that Milorad Dodik publicly announced earlier that an agreement had been reached with certain international circles and the administration of President Donald Trump on the departure of the High Representative is of particular concern. Today’s development shows that the representatives of the current government were once again completely taken aback by the processes taking place on the international scene,” they stated.
They emphasize that “it is obvious that the member of the BiH Presidency Denis Bećirović, Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmedin Konaković and Ambassador Zlatko Lagumdžija knew nothing about this, even though they assured the public for months that they have strong international contacts and full coordination with key partners”.
The SBiH points out that Bosnia and Herzegovina must not be a country where the SNSD leader has more information about important international processes than the official representatives of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
They state that this shows a serious decline in international reputation and the complete absence of political authority of the current government.
“It is clear that Milorad Dodik is already presenting this situation as his political and international victory. For years, he campaigned against the High Representative, contested his legitimacy, sought his removal and openly lobbied international power centers.
Today’s developments show that the policy of concessions to the SNSD and constant concessions did not lead to the stabilization of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but to the additional weakening of the country’s international position. It is obvious that the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the function of the High Representative are being negotiated through arrangements in which the authorities from the Republic participate Serbian, international actors and foreign administrations, while the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina remain on the sidelines,” they point out.
In SBiH, they believe that citizens have the right to know the truth about what is happening behind closed doors, who is conducting the negotiations and what consequences such agreements may have for the constitutional order and political stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
