Escobar for RSE: There will be no new war in BiH, Dodik only wants to protect his wealth

(Patria) - Gabriel Escobar, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the State Department, ahead of his visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, stated that he wants to tell the citizens of that country that there will be no new war.

Escobar, two days before arriving in BiH, said in an interview with Radio Free Europe (RSE) that in Sarajevo he will first speak with the US ambassador to the country, before announcing possible sanctions, without specifying which sanctions might be involved.

“That is on the table. But I want to tell the people in BiH, there will be no new war. We, the international community, our partners in Europe, we want to be sure that our commitment to peace and security of the people in the region is mutual. As for the weakened central institutions, the reason is corruption. What Dodik is doing is that he wants to protect his power and his money. I ask people not to fall for that,” Escobar said.

When asked by RSE whether he believes he is the one who can decisively influence the stopping of not only anti-BiH rhetoric, but also the concrete moves taken by Dodik, Escobar said that no one in the region supports Dodik's agenda.

"To be honest, Dodik's agenda is not supported by anyone in the region, not even Serbia, with which we have a partnership. I am not trying to divide Serbs, but if you see what we are doing in Serbia, where we support the ‘Open Balkan’ initiative (an initiative on a free movement zone for people and goods between Serbia, Albania, and North Macedonia, editor's note). We have signed nearly a billion dollars in aid packages, a new university partnership between Belgrade, which is one of the best universities, and Budapest, Athens, between the Adriatic and Black Seas - where we have exercises between the Green Berets and US Marines training with the Serbian Army. We can do that for Serbs in Republika Srpska as well,” Escobar stated.

“Dodik is pushing an alternative message, where he would rather see Republika Srpska become Transnistria or South Ossetia, just to protect his wealth,” Escobar concluded, citing examples of pro-Russian separatist territories in Moldova and Georgia.