NATO's red carpet for genocide denier

(Patria) - NATO has warned of the danger of a "security vacuum" in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while at the same time hosting a politician who is under sanctions from the US and the UK.

This was stated by EUobserver in his article, Andrew Rettman, referring to today's meeting of members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Željka Cvijanović, Željko Komšić and Denis Bećirović with members of the North Atlantic Council at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

- We will not accept any security vacuum in Bosnia and Herzegovina. And we will not allow the hard-won peace to be threatened.

The Dayton Peace Agreement must be respected. The constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina must be respected - said NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Šekerinska today in Brussels.

Šekerinska made a brief statement at NATO headquarters without answering journalists' questions.

NATO did not respond to EUobserver's inquiry as to whether the meeting helped to calm tensions.

- During the discussion, it was reiterated that the Alliance remains concerned about recent developments and their negative consequences, including the country's constitutional order and the functionality of state institutions - it was announced later.

NATO also did not immediately respond to a question about its policy regarding the reception of visitors who are under sanctions from the leading member states of the Alliance.

Željka Cvijanović, the representative of Republika Srpska who met with Šekerinska today, is subject to a ban on entering the US and asset freeze since July 2023.



The US Department of the Treasury stated that she "threatens the stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina" because she publicly supported a law in the BiH entity of Republika Srpska that undermines the Constitutional Court of BiH.

She has also been under sanctions from the United Kingdom since April 2022.

- In October 2021, Željka Cvijanović used her position to propose a law in Republika Srpska aimed at transferring state competencies to the entity level.

Cvijanović publicly glorified war criminals and denied the genocide in Srebrenica - it is stated in the notification of the sanctions of the United Kingdom.

Germany and Austria have also imposed sanctions on the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, due to his secessionist aspirations, but not on Cvijanović.

EU Foreign Ministers discussed the crisis in BiH in Luxembourg yesterday, but refused to impose sanctions on Dodik, despite calls from Berlin and Vienna.

EUobserver further writes that Dodik is currently in Banja Luka despite an arrest warrant issued by the BiH judiciary, which the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) "is unable to execute due to the presence of Republika Srpska security forces".

- Any attempt to break up Bosnia and Herzegovina is unacceptable. Political leaders must overcome divisions, not deepen them - said the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, after the meeting of EU ministers.

Cvijanović visited NATO headquarters last December, when she also met with EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos and President of the European Council Antóni Costa.