Security expert Ahmed Kico, who was the introductory speaker of the session of the Association of Independent Intellectuals “Circle 99” on the topic “Opposition to hybrid activities against the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)”, assessed that since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, BiH has been the target of hybrid activities from both the East and the West.
According to him, these hybrid threats have been especially intensified in the last 10-12 years, when, as he said, BiH, with its constitutional structure, geopolitical position, and geopolitical situation, is once again in the focus of interest of both Serbia and Croatia.
“Everything that has a Bosnian character, everything that has a multi-ethnic, equal character is the target of hybrid operations. These operations are primarily carried out by order of the Russian Federation and are carried out by structures from the Republic of Serbia and the BiH entity Republika Srpska (RS). Unfortunately, in the last few years, especially since the period of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine, there has been an even stronger attack on BiH,” Kico said at the press conference before the start of the session.
He says that BiH, despite everything, still has a certain number of structures that successfully take measures to recognize such attacks on BiH.
“I believe that BiH will continue to responsibly oppose such hybrid operations, primarily because the main goal is to maintain the viability, and democratic capacity of the state of BiH and, in this sense, to stop subversive secessionist activities, primarily from the entity of the RS and their president there, and partly also activities that are very complex, very subtle, from the area of Herzegovina, specifically from the area controlled by HDZ BiH and Dragan Covic,” he emphasized.
Moreover, he added that “under the mantra of changes to the Election Law, they are actually trying to create a sense of threat among the domestic population, but also the population in BiH, that the Election Law should be made exclusively according to the HDZ of BiH”.
“Citizens of BiH should be aware that we are under the attack of hybrid operations. If we know this, then it will be easier for us because we will support our institutions of the security, judicial, and political system, to oppose these unconstitutional and illegal activities towards BiH or within BiH. In order to suppress hybrid operations against the state of BiH, citizens, media, and institutions must change the political narrative,” Kico explained.
Kico points out that the citizens and institutions of BiH should support the establishment of a department for countering hybrid activity within the Intelligence-Security Agency of BiH (OSA BiH), which is the key and the bearer of countering hybrid activity, Federalna reports.
E.Dz.
