The United States Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina has reacted strongly to the latest statements by the Russian Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which followed a meeting on energy security.
“The statement by the Russian Embassy should not be a surprise, coming from a country that launched an illegal and unprovoked attack on Ukraine. This is not the first time that the Russian Embassy has threatened Bosnia and Herzegovina. These threats specifically demonstrate Russia’s malign influence in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They clearly demonstrate how much Russia fears losing its monopoly on gas supplies to Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the ability to exert political and economic pressure on Bosnia and Herzegovina,” the embassy said.
The US Embassy thanked the Russian Embassy for, as they stated, “clearly demonstrating to the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its political parties the cynical nature of its alleged ‘friendship’ with Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
“The question before the Government and Parliament of the Federation of BiH is whether they are ready to act to protect BiH from Russia’s malign influence by adopting the Law on Southern Interconnection, which the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH adopted in December 2021, and thus enable the implementation of the project that has been blocked by an individual for three years, and which would provide economic benefits to the residents of the Federation of BiH, especially those in Herzegovina. The decision is theirs, and history will harshly judge those who put Russia’s interests above the interests of the citizens of BiH,” the embassy said.
Finally, they said that the United States remains committed to the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and multiethnic character of BiH, as well as its integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions.
