MOSCOW, April 10. /TASS/. Republika Srpska hopes that Russia’s position on the Balkans, presented at the UN Security Council, will help prevent negative developments in the region, Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik told TASS in an interview.
He noted that in March, some European representatives began discussing a potential change in the role of EUFOR Althea, the EU military mission operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"We are very grateful that Russia remains committed to engaging with the Balkans in the UN Security Council, particularly regarding the Dayton Agreement, as Russia is one of its guarantors. There is not a single meeting where this topic is not discussed," Dodik said in response to a related question.
"We have no interest in EUFOR changing its role, and we do not want Althea’s mandate to be altered. That’s why we always emphasize to our Russian partners that if such a change is proposed, the Security Council should not approve it," he continued.
Meanwhile, Dodik emphasized that Republika Srpska will closely follow the developments on the extension of the mandate of the EUFOR mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"This decision is made every year in October, and we will be watching what they do," he pointed out. "But the demonstration of force that they stage all over Republika Srpska through patrolling and other ways is worrying our people. I hope that they will not go further than that," Dodik added.
The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
According to the constitution outlined in the General Framework Peace Agreement on Bosnia (commonly known as the Dayton Agreement), BiH is composed of two entities: the Muslim-Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (approximately 51% of the country’s territory) and Republika Srpska (about 49% of the territory), along with the Brcko District. The three primary ethnic groups — Bosniaks (Slavs converted to Islam), Serbs (Orthodox Christians), and Croats (Catholics) - are proportionally represented in the government.
The country is effectively governed by a high representative from the international community, a position established under the Dayton Agreement. This person is appointed by the steering committee of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Peace Implementation Council with approval from the UN Security Council. However, in May 2021, the ambassadors of the steering committee countries decided to appoint Christian Schmidt as the new high representative in BiH without following the UNSC approval process. The leadership of Republika Srpska does not recognize Schmidt’s legitimacy.
EU units operating within the EUFOR Althea format replaced the multinational Stabilization Force (SFOR) in 2004. SFOR had been stationed in BiH since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the Bosnian War in 1995. On March 6, Sarajevo asked the EU to expand its military contingent in Bosnia and Herzegovina "due to the deteriorating security situation." The EUFOR contingent in the Balkan state now stands at 1,100, the Bosnian Dnevni avaz reported yesterday. According to the daily, in the coming days it will be joined by another 400 troops from Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia.