BiH Presidency condemns expulsion of German Minister Anna Lührmann from RS

(Patria) - At the request of BiH Presidency member Denis Bećirović, an emergency session of the collective head of state of BiH was held today in Sarajevo.

The topic of the session was the unlawful conduct of the authorities of the RS entity in connection with the visit of German State Minister for Europe and Climate Anna Lührmann to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bećirović emphasized during the session that on the second day of the visit, April 4, the government of the RS entity made a scandalous and illegal decision to declare German Minister Anna Lührmann a persona non grata in the RS entity.

Regarding this scandalous act, Bećirović proposed conclusions stating:

1. The BiH Presidency thanks the Federal Republic of Germany for all its support, assistance and cooperation so far. It also expresses readiness to develop the best possible economic, political, educational, cultural and other relations between BiH and Germany in the coming period.

The BiH Presidency assesses that the Federal Republic of Germany is one of the key foreign trade partners of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that it is in the strategic interest of our country to maintain friendly and comprehensive cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Federal Republic of Germany;

2. The BiH Presidency condemns and considers unacceptable the unconstitutional and unlawful conduct of the government of the Republika Srpska entity and the president of that entity, Milorad Dodik, towards the Minister for Europe and Climate in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Anna Lührmann.

This is unlawful conduct by which Minister Lührmann was declared a persona non grata, which, along with the use of repressive measures, resulted in the expulsion of Minister Lührmann from that entity and the restriction of her movement;

3. The BiH Presidency notes that, according to the Constitution and laws of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the conduct of foreign policy is the exclusive competence of the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Article III.1.a.), specifically the BiH Presidency (Article V.3.a.), and that entities have no authority to undertake any measures or activities in the field of foreign policy;

4. These conclusions enter into force on the day of their adoption and will be published in the "Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina".

The aforementioned conclusions were adopted at the emergency session of the BiH Presidency, with two votes "for" and one against.