Bećirović: The European path and sovereignty of BiH are threatened by the entities' institutions, not the High Representative

(Patria) - Speaker of the BiH Presidency Denis Bećirović issued a statement today regarding the latest anti-Dayton and anti-constitutional messages and actions by the leaders of the BiH entity of Republika Srpska.

"The scandalous messages of the President of the BiH entity of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, about a 'peaceful separation' and the 'non-existence of Bosnia and Herzegovina's future' should be understood as a threat to the peace and independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Dodik should know that the thesis of 'peaceful separation' represents a dangerous illusion. Bosnia and Herzegovina has a secure future.

If the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina depended on Dodik and politicians like him, our country would have neither a present nor a future.

Christian Schmidt is the legal High Representative, whose competencies and legal status are confirmed by international and national law.

The Dayton Peace Agreement is not a 'smorgasbord' from which the leaders of the BiH entity of Republika Srpska can take what they want. It is an international agreement that must be implemented integrally and consistently.

I most strongly condemn the inappropriate attacks by the President of the BiH entity of Republika Srpska on the USA, Germany, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The aforementioned countries, as well as numerous others across Europe and the world, are proven friends of multi-ethnic Bosnia and Herzegovina and all its citizens and peoples.

The ambassadors of these countries are true friends of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the vast majority of our country's citizens truly appreciate their commitment.

Unfortunately, the leaders of the BiH entity of Republika Srpska continue to threaten the peace, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina with dangerous anti-Dayton actions.

The President of the BiH entity of Republika Srpska no longer hides his anti-Dayton and anti-constitutional policy of breaking up Bosnia and Herzegovina and openly advocates for it.

Therefore, once and for all, the leaders of the BiH entity of Republika Srpska should stop deceiving the domestic and international public that the High Representative is violating the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina. That is the biggest untruth.

The truth is that the High Representative is protecting the peace, security, and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while the institutions of the BiH entity of Republika Srpska are directly threatening the peace and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

When it comes to the European path of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one great illusion and deception needs to be exposed.

The European path of Bosnia and Herzegovina is threatened by the irresponsible separatist policy of the authorities of the BiH entity of Republika Srpska. That path is incompatible with the anti-constitutional and anti-European policy of the authorities of the BiH entity of Republika Srpska, not with the clearly defined international mandate and duties of the High Representative.

After Milorad Dodik's visits to Belarus and Russia and his statements that 'Putin is the greatest humanist,' only the uninformed or malicious do not understand his real goal.

The essential goal of this destructive policy is not only to abolish the institution of the High Representative but also to weaken the influence of the EU and the West in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The sovereignty of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina is clearly defined by the Dayton Peace Agreement and the BiH Constitution. It unequivocally belongs only to the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

There is no entity sovereignty, and such an unfounded thesis has no legal basis in the Dayton Peace Agreement and the BiH Constitution, nor in international law.

It is clearly stipulated in Articles 1.1 and 1.3 of the BiH Constitution that the entities were legally established as part of the internal structure of an independent, sovereign, and indivisible state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which continued its existence under international law as a state with an altered internal structure.

This is discussed, among other things, in the preamble of the BiH Constitution, which precisely states: "Committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina in accordance with international law." Therefore, only the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina has sovereignty, not its entities.

Furthermore, the messages from officials from the BiH entity of Republika Srpska speaking of radicalism and extremism are scandalous and unfounded.

Politicians who publicly glorify convicted war criminals for genocide and crimes against humanity have no right to speak about radicalism. Instead of shifting blame, they should start respecting the verdicts of the United Nations courts," Bećirović stated.