The United Kingdom (UK) Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Security Council James Kariuki emphasized that his country strongly supports Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in its efforts and reforms towards the European Union (EU), but also identifies certain efforts by politicians from Republika Srpska (RS) as the greatest threat, undermining progress.
“I will highlight three important points – it is up to the people to choose their future. The decision to open EU accession talks is crucial and provides new opportunities for this country. We hope it will be a strong incentive for key actors in BiH to work together on necessary reforms and refrain from activities that undermine progress. The greatest threat to the future and peace agreement lies in the efforts of some politicians from RS to undermine the state and its institutions. This includes threats of unilateral withdrawal from the constitutional and legal framework of the state and the establishment of a parallel framework in RS,” said Kariuki.
He emphasized that the High Representative plays a key role in accordance with the Dayton Agreement.
“We believe that the efforts of the High Representative are very important and call on all actors to cooperate with his office. We are concerned about reports of an unstable political situation, including denial of genocide, glorification of war criminals, and attacks on returnees. These activities have no place in a peaceful and multi-ethnic society; we welcome efforts to promote trust. We firmly support the EUFOR ALTHEA mission. It has been almost 30 years since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the conflict in BiH. We urge all political actors to overcome political and entity interests and to work together to uphold the Dayton Peace Agreement and achieve a peaceful, stable, and prosperous future for the people of BiH,” Kariuki emphasized at the Security Council meeting dedicated to the situation in BiH, N1 writes.
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