Republika Srpska seeks Russian UN veto on EU's military operation amid growing tensions

Milorad Dodik, the President of Republika Srpska, an entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), has announced plans to hold a high-level meeting with representatives of the Russian Federation in the coming days.

The aim of the meeting is to request that Moscow raise the issue in the UN Security Council regarding the European Union’s military operation, EUFOR Althea, and its continued presence in BiH, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Dodik has expressed concerns that EUFOR is violating its mandate, which he argues is endangering the Serb population by deploying forces under the influence of Sarajevo.

In a statement to Radio and Television Republika Srpska, Dodik emphasized that, unlike previous years when he had called for the continuation of the EUFOR mission, this time he would urge Russia to veto any efforts to sustain what he referred to as a "subversive structure" operating under the UN mandate. He argued that the presence of such forces, which he believes are deployed solely due to demands from Sarajevo, poses a direct threat to the Serbs in BiH.

EUFOR Althea, a European Union-led military operation, took over from the multinational Stabilization Force (SFOR) in 2004. SFOR had been stationed in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement in 1995, which ended the Bosnian War. However, on March 6, the government of Sarajevo requested an increase in the EUFOR contingent due to what it described as a worsening security situation. As of the latest reports, EUFOR's current presence stands at 1,100 troops, with an additional 400 troops from Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovenia expected to be deployed shortly.

The political landscape of Bosnia and Herzegovina is further complicated by the role of the High Representative, a post established by the Dayton Agreement to oversee the implementation of the peace settlement. The High Representative is appointed by the Steering Committee of the Peace Implementation Council, subject to UN Security Council approval. However, in May 2021, the ambassadors of the Steering Committee countries bypassed the UNSC approval process and appointed Christian Schmidt, a representative of Germany, to the position of High Representative. This move has been widely rejected by Dodik and the leadership of Republika Srpska, as well as by Russia and China, who do not recognize Schmidt’s legitimacy.

In a separate legal development, on February 26, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina sentenced Dodik to a year in prison and imposed a six-year ban on his political activities for defying decisions made by Schmidt. This judgment, which is still subject to appeal, was delivered by the Court of First Instance, and the final decision is expected to be issued later this year by the second-instance chamber.

Dodik has warned that any further attempts to push for legislation that infringes on the rights of Bosnian Serbs could lead to him declaring the independence of Republika Srpska. Additionally, he has encouraged Bosnian Croat representatives to consider re-establishing their own unrecognized entity, Herceg-Bosna, which dissolved after the Dayton peace agreement in 1995.

Earlier, the BiH prosecutor's office had sought assistance in securing the detention of Dodik, Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic, and Parliament Speaker Nenad Stevandic, but Republika Srpska's Interior Minister, Sinisa Karan, dismissed any possibility of their arrest.

By Tamilla Hasanova