Russian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Igor Kalabukhov said that it is not normal for Bosnia and Herzegovina to be under a protectorate for three decades, stressing that Russia, as one of the guarantors of the Dayton Agreement, insists on its respect, along with equality of the two entities and the three constituent peoples.
Kalabukhov emphasized that Russia seeks to maintain mutually beneficial relations with all actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while the closest ties are being developed with Republika Srpska, which is qualified as strategic cooperation.
He pointed out that trust is the most important issue for Bosnia and Herzegovina and that it will be interesting to see how it develops in the coming year.
“Immediately after the signing of the Dayton Agreement, Western partners took a course away from encouraging the sides in Bosnia and Herzegovina toward compromise and mutually acceptable solutions, and began using force to impose their vision of what Bosnia and Herzegovina should look like,” Kalabukhov told Glas Srpske.
Recalling that the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Dayton Agreement was recently marked, Kalabukhov said he finds it paradoxical that this most important document for Bosnia and Herzegovina has still not been translated into local languages.
“Isn’t that the root of the problem when there is no unanimous interpretation of certain provisions of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina?” Kalabukhov asked, also recalling the notorious Bonn powers.
According to him, the situation regarding the illegitimate High Representative has become the apotheosis of that policy.
“As a result, many provisions of the Dayton Agreement were distorted in practice. At the same time, we proceed from the fact that the peace agreement—under conditions where there are no other agreements between the two entities and the three constituent peoples—remains today the only alternative basis for finding mutually acceptable compromises,” Kalabukhov said.
He believes that the most important thing is to assume responsibility for the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the generations to come.
“It is easy to blame someone else for your problems. Sovereignty and independence are not just words or some kind of magical formulas. Sovereignty and independence require the courage to make decisions and to take full responsibility for them,” Kalabukhov concluded.
Source: RTRS
