Komšić: BiH will not be a pawn in Russian games of any kind

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - BiH Presidency member Željko Komšić said that he and another member, Šefik Džaferović, are obliged to explain the reasons why they refused to meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov.

"It is clear to everyone that Mr. Lavrov, as a minister, if not the first, then among the top three world diplomats, a man with so much experience, knowledge, and the power behind him, is a man whose moves are planned. What we have had the opportunity to witness since Mr. Lavrov arrived in BiH are messages not of his personal opinion, but of the country he represents. The absence of the state flag is not a protocol error, we perceive it as a kind of disrespect and even denial of the institutions of the country he officially visited.

The statement in which he welcomed the RS National Assembly resolution on the military neutrality of Republika Srpska in case of accession to one or the other association shows that the Russian minister is perfectly informed, experienced, and avoids the fact that such a decision can only be made by state bodies of BiH and that BiH has made a decision concerning its European and Atlantic future.

Mr. Lavrov knows that such a decision cannot be made by the RS Assembly, but by this body where we are, the Presidency and Parliament. Based on these two examples, I think Mr. Lavrov has shown disrespect for the institutions and the constitutional system of BiH.

Our commitment is to have the best possible relations with the Russian Federation, but we also expect all those who represent the Russian Federation to respect the Constitution and institutions of BiH.

Last night, the stance of Lavrov's spokesperson was published on social networks, which is a kind of threat. This is something on which we cannot build our relations with Russia. We cannot compare BiH and Russia in terms of power, but we can ask people who claim to be friends to respect our institutions and treat a part of BiH as an independent state, and that is the impression we had after the meeting between Lavrov and Dodik, and that is the impression after all the statements of Mr. Lavrov and his spokesperson. The decision was not made lightly," said Komšić.

Komšić added that he remembers different stances of Minister Lavrov.

"With due respect to Lavrov, we are not people who will agree to be Russian pawns in the Balkans in a confrontation with the EU or NATO countries. I remember the earlier Minister Lavrov who said that if your decision is to join NATO, Russia will respect it. I am sorry, I am aware of how small we are when compared to the Russian Federation, but we cannot be pawns in Russian games of any kind when it comes to their relations with Europe and NATO member countries because we have already made some decisions."