Redakcija
German MEP Michael Gahler, asked the European Parliament Thursday why the danger of Bosnia’s breakup and the Republika Srpska (RS) entity’s concrete steps towards the secession from the country are not being discussed, strongly urging the Office of the High Representative and the EU to sanction the RS leadership before the so-called Russian “little green men” appeared in BiH.
“Technocratically confirming already taken decisions and biroclatically assessing any pre-accession progress, I wonder why the danger of a breakup of BiH has not been an issue in this summit. The recent concrete steps towards the secession of the Republika Srpska undertaken by the nationalist leadership under Milorad Dodik should ring all alarm bells. The votes in the RS Assembly foreseen for the next week are without precedent and being illegal and unconstitutional as well as violating the Dayton [Peace] Agreement have the potential to generate concrete grounds for the RS leadership to pursue with their secessionist agenda and thereby endangering the stability and even peace of the whole Western Balkans,” Gahler said.
Bosnian Serb Presidency member Milorad Dodik’s said earlier this month that the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska (RS) entity would adopt laws and amendments annulling all the previous laws imposed by the High Representative in the country, some 140 of them, and withdraw its previous consent on all the major reforms in the country such as the army reform, the reform of the fiscal council, the Indirect Taxation Authority, state police, state intelligence agency and others, returning the competencies earlier transferred to the state back to the entity.
On Wednesday, the RS National Assembly adopted the Bill on Medicines and Medical Devices, which foresees the establishment of an entity-level Medicines Agency despite there already existing a state Agency which regulates the BiH market and determines the safety of medications.
The German MEP strongly urged the Office of the High Representative (OHR), in charge of overseeing the implementation of the civilian aspect of the Dayton Peace Agreement, and the EU to issue a strong joint statement condemning the vote in strong terms as well declaring it illegal.
He also expressed his firm belief that the EU and the OHR will use diplomatic influence and the Bonn powers, with which the High Representative has toe power to impose laws and dismiss politicians from office, sanctioning them in various ways, “to bring the nationalist forces in the RS leadership to reason.”
Gahler then warned of the dangers of the RS secession and the immediate support the entity would receive from Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian special forces as seen in Ukraine, wearing Russian uniforms without the state insignia.
“You know what happens if we allow Dodik to declare independence? The next day he will be recognized by Putin who takes revenge for Kosovo and the “green men” are probably on stand-by somewhere. Perhaps in Nis [Serbia], in the Russian Information Centre. We cannot allow that to happen let us react properly and in time,” Gahler concluded.
MEP Michael Gahler urges the EU to sanction Bosnian RS entity secessionists, warning of Russian ‘little green men’ in BiH. #Bosnia, #EU, #Russia #LittleGreenMen pic.twitter.com/ZShaN0Vy8H
— N1english (@N1info) October 21, 2021
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