BELGRADE, May 23. /TASS/. The European Union has stepped up political pressure on the leadership of the Republika Srpska (one of the two constituent entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina) amid preparations for the visit of its President Milorad Dodik to Russia in June. As the Vecernje Novosti newspaper notes, the EU intends to remove Dodik from the political scene by completely isolating him and introducing additional sanctions.
According to the newspaper, France and Germany have prepared a so-called non-paper (an unofficial document) containing recommendations for EU countries on the complete political and institutional isolation of Dodik, the introduction of sanctions against him, Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic, Chairman of Parliament Nenad Stevandic and their party – the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats.
It is also proposed to stop funding all projects that benefit the Republic of Srpska as part of the Investment Fund for the Western Balkans. The preparation of the document is timed to coincide with Dodik’s planned visit to Russia in June.
The document also points to the need to coordinate actions with the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina Christian Schmidt, whom the Republic of Srpska, like Russia and China, does not recognize as legitimate. According to the newspaper, the European Union views the support that Banja Luka receives from Moscow as a challenge to its geopolitical interests in the Balkans.
Sanctions against the leadership of the Republic of Srpska have already been imposed by Germany, Austria and Lithuania. Poland has confirmed the start of the entry ban procedure for Dodik. In addition, he, his daughter Gorica and son Igor are included in the sanctions lists of the US and the UK.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is essentially governed through a high representative of the international community (a post created in accordance with the Dayton Agreement), who is appointed by the Steering Committee of the Peace Implementation Council for Bosnia and Herzegovina after the candidacy is approved by the UN Security Council. However, in May 2021, the ambassadors of the Steering Committee countries decided to appoint German diplomat Christian Schmidt as the new high representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina without the approval procedure of the UN Security Council. As a result, the leadership of the Republic of Srpska, as well as Russia and China, do not recognize his legitimacy.
On February 26, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina sentenced Dodik to one year in prison and a six-year ban on political activity for ignoring Schmidt’s decisions. This decision can be appealed, the final verdict is expected by the end of this year. In response to the verdict, the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska approved laws on non-governmental organizations-foreign agents and a ban on the work of federal security agencies of Bosnia and Herzegovina on its territory. Later, Sarajevo tried to initiate an international arrest warrant for Dodik, but the central office of Interpol decided not to issue it.
Belgrade’s reaction
On May 22, a meeting of the National Security Council of Serbia was held in Belgrade, chaired by President Aleksandar Vucic. As reported by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Serbia Milan Mojsilovic, at the meeting the head of state familiarized the participants with the non-paper prepared by France and Germany. According to him, the document significantly complicates the situation of the Republic of Srpska. Because of that specific tasks were defined for the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia.
