”During a visit to Sarajevo two days ago, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer stressed that Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) must not be drawn into the Ukrainian conflict and that Austria, also with the support of the European Union Force (EUFOR)military mission, “will not leave BiH alone,” writes the Austrian newspaper Standard.
”Nehammer met with the three-member state presidency, which includes “pro-Russian nationalist Milorad Dodik”, who has been preparing “concrete laws leading to the disintegration of joint state institutions and the destruction of the state of BiH” with his Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) party since the fall, ” the Austrian newspaper writes.
He added that just this week, Dodik also told the European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, who was also in Sarajevo, that he would not repeal the laws.
600 million euros for Dodik
”Despite Dodik’s refusal to abide by the Constitution and repeal the laws, despite years of threats of secession and despite being in direct contact with the Russian regime, the EU has so far not developed any strategies to avoid escalation, but continues its policy of concessions at all costs. Recently, Hungarian EU Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi has repeatedly offered Dodik 600 million euros if Serb representatives return to the institutions. Varhelyi himself was sent by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who supports Dodik and his policies,” the paper writes, Deutsche Welle reports.
When asked by the Standard, the EU Commission said:
”The Commission has repeatedly asked the representatives of the Republika Srpska (RS) to fully return to state institutions… The Commission intends to sign relevant agreements on the allocation of funds for two investments (investment packages for road and railway connections) worth 600 million euros only after the end of the political crisis, provided that the representatives of the RS return to state institutions.”
Putin-Dodik agreement and threat to BiH
”The Russian embassy recently announced that Putin and Dodik signed an agreement in early December, which should now be gradually implemented. In the context of the war against Ukraine, there are concerns that Dodik could declare RS’ independence when the first laws on dissolving state institutions come into force in May. There are also concerns that Dodik could then call on Serb members of the Constitutional Court to resign, making the Constitutional Court dysfunctional. Third, there are concerns that the Kremlin could recognize the independence of RS, analogous to the “people’s republics” of Luhansk and Donetsk, ” the Vienna paper writes.
It is also stated that security experts have been warning for months that the Kremlin, with the help of Dodik and his friends, could open another front of destabilization in the Balkans.
BiH, like Serbia, recently did not support the imposition of sanctions on Russia, which Moscow welcomed. However, Russian Ambassador to Sarajevo Igor Kalabukhov, in response to media questions about what the Kremlin would do if BiHjoined NATO, said:
”If the decision is made to become a member of anything, it is an internal matter. But the other thing is our reaction.”
He explained that Russia has shown what it can expect on the example of Ukraine, and emphasized that Moscow will react if there are any threats in BiH. This was again perceived as a threat in Sarajevo, writes Standard. Two days ago, the highest-circulation German newspaper Bild also covered the statement of the Russian ambassador, asking the question whether it was a “mega-threat” to BiH.
E.Dz.
Source: Avaz
