Bećirović: Dodik's sentence will be enforced, I remind Vučić that both Serbia and BiH are sovereign states

(Patria) - BiH Presidency member Denis Bećirović commented on the second-instance verdict of the Court of BiH Appellate Panel against Milorad Dodik, as well as the statements of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

"Bosnia and Herzegovina is a democratic, legal, independent, and sovereign state, in which all citizens must be equal before the law. The fundamental obligation is to respect the principle of the rule of law and the verdicts of independent judicial institutions, including the second-instance verdict of the Court of BiH, which confirmed the first-instance verdict against Milorad Dodik. There should be no discussion about final verdicts of independent judicial institutions; they must be enforced.

With the second-instance verdict against Milorad Dodik, state judicial institutions have confirmed the importance of independent and professional work and sent a clear message that no one is above the law. The verdict represents an important legal barrier to those who naively believed that the state could be destroyed without consequences. The verdict is a strong message that, regardless of the levers of power they possess, there are no untouchables in a democratic society. Peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina must not depend on one individual, regardless of the position they hold.

Endangering the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ignoring the decisions of the Constitutional Court of BiH, and challenging the authority of international institutions is an absolutely unacceptable approach. No individual has the right to question the fundamental values of democracy and the rule of law, nor to undermine the authority of institutions that guarantee the protection of the constitutional order.

Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina deserve a state where laws are not applied selectively, where no one is above the legal order, and where a society based on equality, responsibility, and mutual respect is built. Only such a state can be capable of responding to contemporary challenges, protecting the interests of all its citizens, and progressing towards European and Euro-Atlantic integrations.

In the context of European integrations, all political actors within Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as certain actors from neighboring countries, are obliged to act in accordance with the principles of institutional integrity and the independence of judicial bodies. The challenging of final court decisions by the President of the Republic of Serbia represents a flagrant violation of the basic norms of international and domestic law and a complete departure from European norms and standards," stated Bećirović.

He emphasized that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a full member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, and numerous other international organizations, and a country on the verge of full membership in the EU and NATO.

"The current president of neighboring the Republic of Serbia has no right to interfere in the internal affairs of the independent, sovereign, and internationally recognized state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The prohibition of interference by one or more states in the internal or external affairs of other states is addressed, among other things, by the following acts: the UN Charter; the Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention in the Internal Affairs of States and the Protection of Their Independence and Sovereignty; the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations; the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention and Interference in the Internal Affairs of States. The Republic of Serbia has additionally committed to all of this by signing the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The current President of the Republic of Serbia mentions the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and again intentionally avoids the word sovereignty. Therefore, I remind him once again that Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Serbia are sovereign and legally equal states. Article 10 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina clearly states:

'The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina recognize each other as sovereign independent states within their internationally recognized borders'.

The President of Serbia is not authorized to change or distort the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was signed by the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (legal successor the Republic of Serbia), and the Republic of Croatia, and which was witnessed by the world's greatest powers as witnesses to the Dayton Peace Agreement.

Therefore, the Republic of Serbia is not a guarantor of the Dayton Peace Agreement, but a signatory.

Finally, I call on the President of the Republic of Serbia to respect the Dayton Peace Agreement, international law, and to open space for the stabilization of the situation in the region. The future of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Serbia should be based on mutual respect and cooperation, as this is in the true interest of the citizens of these two countries."