Serbia's attitude towards BiH: Continuity of insincere policy

By Haris Ljevo

The policy of official Serbia towards its neighbors, specifically towards Bosnia and Herzegovina, is not nearly as it is presented to the public by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and other high-ranking officials.

No matter how much Vučić swears by good neighborly relations and talks about European integration, too many statements and events that have occurred in the last month contradict him.

Last week, the event "Days of Srpska in Serbia 2017" was ceremoniously opened at the National Theatre in Belgrade, and the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, stated that Republika Srpska and Serbia are one and that historical misfortunes are what created borders.

The opening of "Days of Srpska in Serbia" was attended by Nikola Selaković, Secretary General to the President, as an envoy of the Serbian President, ministers Ivica Dačić and Aleksandar Vulin, Patriarch Irinej, and other representatives of public and cultural life.

While Dodik spoke of "historical misfortunes that created borders" between Serbia and Republika Srpska, none of the attendees showed in any way that they disagreed with his rhetoric and dreams of a common state for Serbs on both sides of the Drina. This best shows how much Serbia respects the territorial integrity of BiH.

About ten days after his official visit to Sarajevo, during which he spoke about respecting the territorial integrity of BiH, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić gave his first address to the nation in which he denied everything he said in Sarajevo.

- I swore an oath to the Constitution and I will respect the Constitution, but those who criticize are not fighters for Serbian interests, but rather those who can tell the people the truth. When you talk about who has done more for our people... When has Republika Srpska had greater support? In every sense. And what has been done for the Serbian people in Montenegro? It has led to us building a Serbian House in Podgorica today - said Vučić.

Vučić thus publicly announced that Republika Srpska has had the greatest support from Serbia in the last twenty years, even though just a week earlier, during an official visit to Sarajevo, he claimed that Serbia is a sincere friend of BiH and respects the country's integrity. If he boasts about supporting one entity within the state, how can we then talk about respecting the territorial integrity of BiH?

At the beginning of September in Belgrade, after a meeting of the highest representatives of Serbia and the BiH entity Republika Srpska, Aleksandar Vučić stated that a team had been formed to work on drafting a Declaration on the Protection and Preservation of the Serbian People.

The declaration, he said, will emphasize the right to use the Serbian language and the Cyrillic alphabet, the right to study national culture, history, geography, preserve national cultural and historical heritage, and education in the Serbian language.

- A budget fund will be established to realize these rights, and the current grant-based financing for the diaspora will be redefined," said Vučić. He added that Serbia and RS will work on harmonizing the school curriculum for the Serbian language and literature in Serbia and RS, as well as on organizing student excursions, youth camps, and summer and winter schools in Serbia and RS.

Last week, Serbian Minister of Justice Nela Kuburović stated that the Serbian government would provide guarantees for the temporary release for medical treatment in Serbia of Hague indictee Ratko Mladić.

- Respecting the request of the family and defense counsel of General Ratko Mladić, the Ministry of Justice has initiated procedures to provide guarantees for Mladić to be temporarily released for medical treatment in Serbia.

So far, we have respected what was guaranteed. I believe that this time too, the defense counsel and the family of General Ratko Mladić will receive a positive response - said Minister Kuburović.

One of the few reasonable voices on the Serbian political scene, Nenad Čanak, sharply condemned the possible provision of guarantees to the indicted general Ratko Mladić.

- The wars of the nineties brought to light mass crimes against humanity and represent a dark page in the history of the Balkan peoples. The trials of those indicted for war crimes are an opportunity for entire nations and states to confront the crimes, which were often committed in their name.

Any guarantee for the temporary release of Ratko Mladić, which would be given by the Serbian authorities, would represent a malevolent gesture that would cause great damage to Serbia's international position and significantly harm the relations between our country and neighboring countries - said the leader of LSV, Nenad Čanak.

All these statements about historical mistakes regarding border creation, announcements about providing guarantees for Ratko Mladić, protecting the Serbian people who are not being attacked, and others, are only proof that the official policy of Serbia has not changed much compared to the time when Serbia was sovereignly ruled by Slobodan Milošević.