State leadership to discuss sanctions against Russia over Ukraine this week

The Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina will discuss sanctions against Russia this week, the BH News Agency Patria (NAP) has learned from sources in the office of the BiH Presidency Chairman Bakir Izetbegović.

Our country is obliged under the EU Stabilization and Association Agreement to align its foreign policy positions with Brussels' stance.

However, last week Nebojša Radmanović announced that he would not support the acceptance of the EU's positions towards Russia due to the annexation of Crimea and the crisis in Ukraine.

- This will mean a new divergence between BiH and the European Union. This is an extremely important issue not only for Brussels but also for other European capitals like Berlin, Paris, and London, and especially for the United States of America (USA). Regardless of BiH being a small country, in this situation, a clear stance and taking the right side are required – a source from the state leadership told us.

Radmanović previously accepted a joint statement on Ukraine calling for restraint, but as is now clear after the statements by RS President Milorad Dodik on the legitimacy of the referendum in Crimea, he will not support the European Union's stance on sanctions.

This situation, where certain political centers of power, despite a declarative will to join the EU and NATO, play to Moscow's notes and positions in sensitive situations, will further distance our country from Euro-Atlantic integration, as NAP has learned.