Russia calls on West to stop interfering in Bosnia-Herzegovina’s affairs — UN envoy

UNITED NATIONS, May 12. /TASS/. Russia calls on the West to stop interfering into Bosnia and Herzegovina’s domestic affairs and insists that the office of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina be shut down, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said. "We insist that Western countries stop interfering into the internal affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We insist on the immediate closure of the office of the High Representative. This is step one toward the stabilization of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina," he said at the United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in that country. "It is high time the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina secure true sovereignty and independence, decide about their future themselves. Problems and differences should be settled via a wide mutually respectful dialogue between the Bosnian sides on the basis of the Dayton Agreement." "Any attempts to misinterpret the Dayton provisions will have catastrophic consequences for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the entire Western Balkans region," the Russian diplomat emphasized. "Russia, as a guarantor of the Dayton Agreement, is ready for constructive cooperation to ensure a real post-conflict settlement in Bosnia and Herzegovina." Under the constitution envisaged by the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Dayton Agreement) of 1995, Bosnia and Herzegovina is comprised of two entities, namely the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (around 51% of the territory) and the Republic of Srpska (around 49%), as well as the Brcko District. The three key ethno-religious groups, i.e. Bosniaks (Slavs professing Islam), Serbs (Orthodox Christians), and Croats (Catholics), are proportionally represented in the state governance system. In fact, the country is governed via the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose office was set up under the Dayton Agreement and who is appointed by the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) upon the UN Security Council’s consent. However, in 2021, the Board members appointed Hans Christian Schmidt of Germany to the post without agreeing his candidature with the UN Security Council. For these reasons, his legitimacy is challenged by the Republic of Srpska. On May 10, Schmidt said he had tendered his resignation but will continue working until his successor is elected.