MOSCOW, July 12. /TASS/. Western attempts to present former US Consul General in Vladivostok Louis Crischock as interim high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina lack any legal basis, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a commentary.

"Attempts by Western representatives on the Steering Committee of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) to present Mr. Louis Crischock as interim high representative have no legal basis," she said.

Zakharova points out that the 1995 Dayton Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina does not provide for the position of acting high representative in BiH. If this function is necessary to ensure the technical functioning of the Office of the High Representative (OHR), then this is a purely internal matter for this institution. However, the so-called acting high representative does not possess any powers within the meaning of the Dayton Agreement. Such powers can only be vested in a legitimate high representative whose candidacy has been approved by the UN Security Council, she emphasizes.

In 2021, German representative Christian Schmidt was appointed High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina without the UN Security Council's approval procedure. The leadership of Republika Srpska (an entity of BiH), as well as Russia and China, did not recognize Schmidt's legitimacy.

On May 10, Schmidt announced his resignation. Former US Consul General in Vladivostok Louis Crischock will serve as acting high representative until a new high representative is elected. According to local media reports, the US is supporting former Italian Ambassador to Russia Antonio Zanardi Landi, while Paris and Berlin are backing French diplomat Rene Troccaz.