Konaković’s request shows signs of “Stockholm syndrome”

The request by Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Foreign Minister Elmedin Konaković to retain the OHR in BiH can be interpreted as a form of “Stockholm syndrome,” as Bosniak politicians continue to refuse to break free from their captors and colonial overseers.

This was the message from officials in Republika Srpska and analysts reacting to Konaković’s move, who sent a letter to the members of the PIC, officials from the U.S. and the European Union, requesting the retention of the OHR, arguing that without it, BiH would become a “non-functional country” exposed to alleged malign Russian influence. He believes that “minor political forces could misuse the system and halt all processes, including those related to necessary EU reforms.”

The President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, stated that Konaković is on the right path to taking BiH back to the Middle Ages.

“After this statement, it is logical to expect him to call for the return of the Grand Vizier and full jurisdiction of the Sultan and the Porte over BiH. This would avoid the influence of Byzantium and prepare for the annexation by Austria,” Dodik wrote on X.

The President of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, Nenad Stevandić, says that Konaković constantly conceals his incompetence with clichés about malign Russian influence and Serbian separatism.

“You can’t negotiate with Serbs about the Council of Ministers in the morning and then blame Serbs for everything in the afternoon. You can’t use Russian gas to save Sarajevo from freezing and winter and then talk about malign Russian influence,” Stevandić said, adding that this duplicity will not bring anything good to BiH.

Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Staša Košarac emphasized that Konaković’s assertion that BiH would become a non-functional country exposed to malign Russian influence without the OHR is unbelievable and utterly paradoxical. According to Košarac, BiH is a non-functional country due to the malign influence of U.S. Ambassador Michael Murphy and the “phantom” from the OHR, Christian Schmidt, as well as the servitude and subservience of the Bosniak political factor.

“Konaković and others like him advocate for the retention of the occupying OHR not for BiH’s European future, as they hypocritically and falsely claim. The OHR and Schmidt are needed by Bosniak politicians because of their ambitions and desires for the centralization of BiH, the negation of Dayton, and the derogation of constitutional competencies. They are their key allies in the fight against Republika Srpska and the Dayton concept of BiH,” Košarac said.

He believes that this is, in fact, a call for the final dissolution of BiH and that the only solution in that case is peaceful separation, as Bosniak politicians refuse to understand that the implementation of the Dayton Agreement and the agreement of two entities and three constituent peoples is the only correct and possible path.

Minister of Security of BiH Nenad Nešić says that this case once again shows how paradoxical BiH is, where the foreign minister calls for the continuation of an international protectorate.

“Probably in the future, in legal textbooks, Konaković’s statement will be studied, where he managed to link the presence of the OHR with the promotion of democratic governance. The basic tenet of democracy since the 18th century has been that parliaments make laws,” Nešić emphasized.

He noted that where one imposed foreigner makes laws, there is neither a state nor democracy, adding that even Benjamin Kállay did not make laws alone, but the assembly did.

“The UN Charter, which is embedded in the preamble of the BiH Constitution, affirms the principle of equal sovereignty of UN member states and prohibits the state of a protectorate. Also, the retention of the OHR is in direct opposition to EU membership, so Konaković should say whether he is for the OHR or the EU,” Nešić stressed.

He also noted that Bosniak politicians see the OHR as an instrument for unconstitutional achievement of their goals and unconstitutional amendments to the BiH Constitution.

“Konaković sees them as patrons who brought him into power by suspending the FBiH Constitution, which has not been recorded anywhere else in the world. It’s convenient for him to invent some ‘Russian malign influence’ even though the cheapest gas in Europe is the only thing that comes from Russia,” Nešić added.

Former diplomat Vladislav Jovanović assessed that this letter only confirms that the Bosniak side fears that upcoming political changes in the U.S. will affect their position.

He also believes that this is “a very transparent propaganda” as arguments like the danger from Russia and the so-called Russian malign influence are used, noting that Russian influence, given the current situation in which Russia finds itself, practically does not exist in the Balkans, let alone in BiH.

Legal expert Ognjen Tadić says that it would be better for Konaković to ask for forgiveness from Serbs and Croats for the decades-long attempts by Bosniaks to take BiH from them, rather than asking for the OHR to stay.

He also notes that the so-called Office of the High Representative for BiH cannot exist without a High Representative, and he cannot exist without a decision by the UN Security Council.

“So, if Konaković feels the need to confess to someone and present himself as the leader of the Bosniaks, who, according to the statements in his letter, are not mature enough to be a nation-state people capable of bearing their share of responsibility for BiH along with Serbs and Croats, then he should write to the UN Security Council, because it is pointless to write to addresses that do not make decisions about the appointment of a High Representative for BiH,” Tadić concluded.

Political analyst Dragomir Anđelković stated that what Konaković is doing is the real malign influence, as he can only speak about what is agreed upon in the BiH Presidency. He believes that Bosniak politicians are trying to use the conflict between Russia and the West to once again push the West to intervene on their behalf.

According to him, the so-called Sarajevo elite is now trying to insert their interests into geopolitical games and present to the West that BiH is exposed to some kind of malign Russian influence, which is untrue.

“Russia in BiH neither has significant influence, nor is it malign. In the end, Russia has always been a factor that supports Dayton, and the malign influence comes from anyone within BiH or outside it who undermines Dayton, so this is about serious lies,” Anđelković emphasized.

New overreach of authority

The Serb member of the BiH Presidency, Željka Cvijanović, believes that Konaković is a unique example of an official in the world who seeks to maintain colonial status for his own country rather than greater autonomy and sovereignty. She pointed out that in this way, Konaković is once again privatizing joint institutions and trying to present his personal servile appeal as the official position of BiH.

“As far as I’m concerned, Konaković can personally request that BiH be annexed to Mars, but he cannot do anything in the name of BiH without the consent of all its peoples,” Cvijanović emphasized.

A puppet

Member of the BiH House of Representatives Milan Petković points out that Elmedin Konaković has once again overstepped his authority, showing that BiH is a non-functional state. He says it’s absurd that a foreign minister of a supposedly sovereign state is calling on ambassadors to regulate relations in that country, which indicates that he is ready to be a puppet of foreign countries that want to pursue their interests in BiH.

Source: Glas Srpske