While the EU punishes Russia and Putin, BiH leaders strengthen relations with Gazprom!

The European Union adopted a new set of stricter sanctions against Russia on the eve of Eid, due to the downing of a civilian plane from Malaysia which killed nearly 300 people. No, Bosnia and Herzegovina, although a potential candidate for EU membership, has not adopted these, nor previous sanctions against Moscow and its officials who are helping Ukrainian separatists, reports the BiH news agency Patria (NAP).

Moreover, just a few days after Brussels voted for sanctions due to an unprecedented crime and the downing of a civilian plane, the highest BiH officials received representatives of the largest Russian state company "Gazprom" in Sarajevo.

The Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as previously announced, could not reach an agreement on imposing sanctions on Russia, even though the EU is demanding it, and BiH has an obligation under the Stabilization and Association Agreement to align its foreign policy with that of Europe.

When it comes to new, stronger sanctions that include travel bans, freezing of financial assets, trade sanctions, and preventing the flow of Russian capital, which could particularly affect Russian state banks and companies, BiH again does not have the same stance as the European Union.

As announced after yesterday's meetings with "Gazprom", members of the BiH Presidency and leaders of the BiH Council of Ministers were present, and the meeting was assessed in the media as strengthening cooperation between this company and BiH.

Patria's diplomatic source points out that such a situation can be interpreted negatively for BiH in Western, especially in American diplomatic circles.

- At a time when Putin and Russia are increasingly isolated due to their support for the division of Ukraine and separatists, and due to responsibility for civilian casualties, it is not good for BiH to be indecisive. We understand the specificity of the country's internal organization, but that also tells us that we need to think carefully and see if such a BiH can even become a member of the EU, or even NATO – a foreign diplomat told Patria on condition of anonymity.