It is crucial that the Russian Federation maintains a firm position on the consistent implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement and dialogue as the only way to resolve issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said Bojan Šolaja of the Center for International and Security Studies, commenting on the recent meeting between Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi.
“There is no other way to resolve any open question in BiH. Its future depends solely on the people who live here,” Šolaja emphasized.
He noted that this is what Republika Srpska has been demanding for years—that decisions about BiH should not be made by those who have continuously tried to undermine the very document on which BiH is founded, the Dayton Peace Agreement.
According to Šolaja, external actors have enabled the imposition of institutions that created a system where even the Constitutional Court of BiH disregards the very constitution it is meant to uphold.
“BiH is facing a crisis, but it is good that Russia, as a guarantor of Dayton, insists on a return to the original agreement. For this reason, Republika Srpska will, as in previous years, submit a report to the UN Security Council, and the Russian Federation has offered—very positively—to present it,” Šolaja stressed.
He pointed out that Security Council sessions continue to receive reports from High Representatives, including the illegitimate Christian Schmidt. Šolaja questioned whether in recent years the UN Security Council has even considered the reports submitted by Republika Srpska.
“Those who live in BiH cannot provide credible information about what is happening here if only the opinion of one individual is taken into account—especially when that person is illegitimate and has no authority to interfere in BiH’s internal affairs,” Šolaja said.
He underlined the importance of returning to the framework of Dayton, since Schmidt and his predecessors acted without any foundation in the agreement.
“The conclusions of the London Peace Conference of December 1995 envisioned only one High Representative—at the time, Carl Bildt. No one spoke of a second, third, or fifth. Unfortunately, for 30 years BiH has lived as a hostage to those who interpret Dayton, rather than those who implement it, and it is time for that to end,” Šolaja emphasized.
He concluded that the Russian Federation is aware of its responsibility and wants to return the process to formal frameworks in which BiH should function, rather than allowing things to unfold chaotically as they have until now.
Source: RTRS
