Dzaferovic: MEPs expressed readiness to help Bosnia overcome political crisis

The international community does not fully understand the severity of the situation in Bosnia but there is a “huge interest” to help the country overcome the political crisis, BiH Presidency member Sefik Dzaferovic said after meeting with EU Parliamentarians in Brussels.

“I asked for stronger engagement of the entire European Union. As far as I could see, there is huge interest and readiness to help BiH. The most important thing at this moment is how to unblock the institutions of BiH,” Dzaferovic said.

He said EU officials expressed concern about the recent developments in BiH and “threats regarding the Armed Forces, the justice system in BiH and threats of secession” coming from BiH Presidency member, Milorad Dodik.

Dzaferovic’s talks in Brussels come in light of Dodik’s initiative to roll back post-war reforms which led to the establishment of numerous state institutions, including the army, indirect taxation authority and judicial institutions.

Dodik announced that Bosnia’s semi-autonomous Republika Srpska (RS) entity, where he is the leader of the ruling party, will unilaterally withdraw from those institutions and form its own, separate ones.

Dzaferovic said he stressed that Dodik has to be stopped in his “insane campaign” as it will “push all of us into destabilisation, huge problems and war.”

“So far, we have not heard a clear plan that would come from the EU, not even from America, although America has gone a step further in responding to this crisis,” he said, noting that the international community does not fully understand the severity of the situation in BiH.

He argued that this is why there is a High Representative in the country, referring to the international official overseeing the civilian implementation of the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement. German politician Christian Schmidt took over the post in August.

“He should help BiH so that these activities do not happen or, if they do happen, that they are simply abolished and that those behind them are removed from the political scene. The international community should support the High Representative to resolve this issue. There are guarantors of the Dayton Peace Agreement,” he said, urging the US and EU to react.