Conference in Dortmund: The European Union must not allow the destabilisation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

(Patria) - The European Union and Germany must not allow any conflict or any situation that would disrupt peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They must demonstrate this through actions, not words.

They must not allow, nor even contemplate, a repeat of what happened in the 1990s, which resulted in mass population migration.

These are the messages from the conference "Sovereign, Integral, Independent Bosnia and Herzegovina," which concluded a few hours ago in Dortmund, Germany, and was attended by a team from Hayat.

The European Union, despite all its internal and global problems, must not look calmly upon threats to peace, threats of secession, extremism, and calls for the destruction of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the leadership of the RS, supported by authorities from Serbia.

In this way, the most direct lobbying is being done towards all relevant institutions of the European Union, as well as the German Bundestag, to put an end to threats to peace and bring the perpetrators to justice.

- The plans for all this started much earlier; they first manifested publicly when the regimes from the RS and Serbia adopted the declaration of the "All-Serbian Assembly," and Mr. Bećirović warned the entire international scene about this. I witnessed him warning about the danger of that declaration - said the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Germany, Damir Arnaut.

- The rebel group led by Dodik is carrying out criminal activity of terrorising the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina by attempting to oust state authority from the entire territory of BiH and turn the RS entity into a state within a state - said Senadin Lavić, professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo.

On this occasion, a declaration was also signed, which is being sent to the institutions of the European Union and the Bundestag, signed by prominent members of German society - representatives of large associations, the Bosnian Academic Association in Germany, as well as the Institute for Research and Implementation of Peace from Croatia.

- We must show the EU and the Bundestag that they must not leave us alone. We are looking for allies and friends in the EU, the world, America. We do not need enemies. We must correct the mistakes made by certain politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina - said Azim Čaušević, president of the Bosnian Academic Association in Germany.

- When we send the declaration to Brussels, we will demand not only Dayton 2, which is necessary and should have happened, but also that this dirty practice in cafes and elsewhere returns to the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina - said Mato Dominković, director of the European Research Institute for Peace Policy.

We remind you that Interpol has refused to intervene and issue an international arrest warrant for the highest political leadership of the RS entity because they do not pursue political officials.

It is up to the judiciary and security forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina to protect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, Constitution, and Dayton Agreement of this country, and the role of the EU is to ensure the peace and stability of our country through EUFOR forces and other means, it was stated at the conference.

Below, read the text of the Declaration that was signed today and will be sent to all relevant addresses of the EU and the Bundestag.

Declaration of BiH Associations in Germany on the Coup d'État in Bosnia and Herzegovina:

We, the signatories of this declaration, representatives of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian community in Germany, are deeply concerned about the increasing escalation in the Bosnian-Herzegovinian entity of Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The laws and decisions recently adopted by the entity assembly represent the current culmination of a multi-year anti-democratic and anti-human policy that the rulers of the RS entity have been conducting for years against all fellow citizens whom they do not consider Serbs, and against the internationally recognised state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

With the open support of the autocratic regimes of Serbia and Russia, the entity assembly, led by the President of the RS and genocide denier Milorad Dodik, has adopted, among other things, decisions that state institutions in the areas of police and judiciary may no longer operate on the territory of the RS entity, that their decisions will have no legal force there, and that a separate border police and army will be established.

This seeks to finally secede the RS, which was created through war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and genocide during the Serbian aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s, as Serbian war booty from Bosnia and Herzegovina and annex it to Serbia. This can be described in no other way than as a coup d'état.

The images of persecution, flight, concentration camps, executions, and the passively observing UN blue helmets from the 1990s have not yet faded, and people are again fleeing from eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, and international troops are again arriving.

History must not repeat itself!

Humanity has been given a second chance to show whether it has learned anything from the past and whether the lives of people in Bosnia and Herzegovina are truly important or just empty words for ceremonial Sunday speeches.

Only decisive action against the rulers in the RS, their followers, and supporters can prevent a new conflict with dead, wounded, and refugees.

Therefore, we call on all peace-loving people and political actors who advocate for a rules-based and value-based world order to condemn the unconstitutional laws and decisions of the entity assembly of the RS, as well as the actions of Dodik and his followers, and to stand up for the protection of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

We appeal to the judicial and police officers of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina not to be intimidated by the threats of the rulers from the RS entity and to duly execute the arrest warrants and prison sentences for Milorad Dodik and his followers. Every day without executing these orders weakens your institutions and makes you accomplices.

At the same time, we call on all political officeholders in Bosnia and Herzegovina, regardless of religious or party affiliation, to jointly and unconditionally commit to protecting the unity and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and to support the judiciary and police by all means in implementing the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the territory of the RS as well.

This includes dismissing from service and prosecuting those state officials who act contrary to the law and sympathise with the RS authorities. We also call on the entire population of Bosnia and Herzegovina to stand by these institutions and resolutely demand respect for and implementation of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the RS entity as well.

However, Bosnia and Herzegovina must not be left alone.

Upon concluding the Dayton Peace Agreement, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina relied on the international community to ensure and support territorial integrity and the peace won with blood, despite accepting the RS and despite the still-present war mongers.

To this end, the international community established the Office of the High Representative of the UN and the Peace Implementation Council.

After these institutions in the early years resolutely advocated for the integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, including even the removal of presidents from their positions, the international community has over time increasingly distanced itself from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This allowed increasingly radical forces to come to power, both in the RS entity and throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, openly opposing the EU and NATO, advocating for Putin and a pro-Russian course, and ever more openly encouraging the RS to secede and join Serbia.

If the EU does not want pro-Russian forces in the heart of Europe to be rewarded again for another war of aggression with territorial gains and to lose all credibility, it must support Bosnia and Herzegovina with all means - immediately.

Preserving the territorial integrity and strengthening the rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a candidate country for NATO and EU membership, is not exclusively in the interest of the country itself, but also in the security interest of the EU.

If it continues to merely observe the activities of Serbian forces, it risks not only new bloodshed and new refugee waves, but also the expansion of the Russian sphere of influence directly at the EU's borders.

As mediators and witnesses signatories of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the EU and Germany have not only a moral but also a legal obligation to preserve the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and to repel any attack on it.

Germany has always particularly advocated for peace, stability, and European integration. During the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s, Germany provided refuge to tens of thousands of Bosnian-Herzegovinian refugees, including numerous survivors of the Srebrenica genocide and other war crimes.

Many of them have today made Germany their second home, are well integrated, and make a valuable contribution to German society and economy.

As representatives of many of these people, we call on the German government, the European Commission, and all their partners to:

1. Condemn and sanction the secessionist actions of the President of the RS, the entity assembly of the RS entity and its president, as well as all their followers, including those in Serbia;

2. Express solidarity and provide support to institutions and citizens who advocate for a peaceful and European Bosnia and Herzegovina;

3. Actively support the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina in executing arrest warrants for the actors of the coup d'état, as well as the Constitution and the rule of law in the RS;

4. Significantly increase the number of EUFOR troops, including in the RS, to preserve peace and strengthen the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina;

5. Support the European integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina, including through the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights by the High Representative and the abolition of entities and ethnocracy in the heart of Europe.