The biggest crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the Dayton Agreement was caused by illegal foreign interventionism, said the Serb member of the Presidency and current Chairwoman of the Presidency of BiH, Željka Cvijanović, during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul.
The meeting came just days after the Bosniak member of the Presidency, Denis Bećirović, sought Erdoğan’s support against the leadership of Republika Srpska, which he claimed is attacking the constitutional order of BiH.
At the same time, while Bećirović was appealing to the Turkish President, his party colleague Benjamina Karić expressed support for Erdoğan’s political rival, the arrested mayor of Istanbul.
From the Bosphorus to the East River and other world capitals, the situation in BiH is being closely monitored. Opinions vary on the root causes of the political instability.
During her conversation with the Turkish President, Cvijanović clearly stated that the greatest crisis since Dayton was induced by illegal foreign interventionism.
“The current crisis was caused by an unelected foreigner who illegally amended the Criminal Code and instrumentalized the judiciary, with the goal of politically eliminating the legitimate and democratically elected president of Republika Srpska,” Cvijanović said.
Despite internal issues caused by the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul and subsequent protests, Turkey continues to show strong interest in the Balkans.
Erdoğan maintains excellent personal relations with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik—something not well-received in Sarajevo.
Cvijanović told the Turkish President that the security situation in BiH is not under threat and that the challenges are exclusively political.
“The only path to overcoming these challenges is to remove the negative causes and consequences of foreign interventionism in BiH, ensure dialogue among democratically elected representatives, and fully return sovereignty and responsibility for all processes to domestic institutions,” Cvijanović emphasized.
Just a week earlier, the Turkish President heard a different narrative from Denis Bećirović, who accused Republika Srpska of attacking BiH’s constitutional order. For the Bosniak leadership, Turkey’s stance is crucial, as the country is a member of the Peace Implementation Council and NATO.
“BiH institutions and the international community must jointly and decisively, using all available means, stop those who are dismantling the Dayton Peace Agreement and the constitutional order of BiH,” Bećirović said.
While Bećirović is practically pleading with Turkey and its president to discipline Milorad Dodik and the leadership of Srpska, his party colleague from SDP, Benjamina Karić, accuses Erdoğan of suppressing democracy and passionately supports the arrested mayor of Istanbul.
This highlights not only the lack of consensus in BiH on the causes of the crisis, but also that Bosniaks themselves cannot agree on whom in the international community to support or appeal to for their positions.
Source: RTRS
