Russia's role in BiH: Ivantsov, through Dodik and Čović, grossly interferes in internal relations in BiH

Written by: Haris Ljevo

The decision of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina to reject the appeal of Republika Srpska regarding the registration of military property to the state has provoked divided reactions in BiH, writes the Patria agency.

One of those who immediately reacted was the Russian ambassador to BiH, Petar Ivantsov. 

- The majority of the population of Republika Srpska is against membership in this military Alliance, whose goals and tasks in the current phase are by no means simple, and for many people are unclear. The Alliance's role during the conflicts of the 1990s in BiH and Kosovo and Metohija does not contribute to the trust of the Serbian people in the Alliance – said Ivantsov in an interview for Večernji list.

Thus, Ivantsov once again directly supported those political forces in BiH that fiercely oppose BiH's entry into NATO, although he, like all his predecessors as Russian ambassador to BiH, has repeated for years the thesis that Russia is a factor of stability and does not want to interfere in internal relations in BiH.

In practice, this non-interference in internal relations in BiH looks like Russia silently remaining quiet about all violations of the Constitution, while reacting only to those decisions that do not benefit Russia and its partners in BiH. When topics such as constitutional amendments, NATO, and EU accession come up, the Russian embassy reacts urgently.

Ivantsov also stated that Russia is for a stable BiH, that it supports everything that the parties within BiH agree on, but also made it clear that Russia's position is that the OHR should be closed, because it creates an obstacle to internal trust in BiH. Despite all the flaws and criticisms that can be directed at it, the OHR is nevertheless an institution that has greatly contributed to whatever internal relations exist in BiH, so demanding its closure is nothing other than direct interference in BiH's relations and support for retrograde forces.

How much Russia is "committed to the progress of BiH" is best shown by Ivantsov's concern for the so-called Croatian issue in BiH. Previously, the Russian embassy had a practice of reacting mainly in cases related to NATO and the RS, and now it has begun to interfere in resolving "Croatian problems".

Why?

It is no secret that the President of the RS, Milorad Dodik, and the President of the HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović, are strategic partners in undermining the state. Although the HDZ declaratively advocates for entry into the EU and NATO, senior HDZ officials have remained completely silent on the fierce reactions from the RS regarding the Constitutional Court's decision on the registration of military property. As a quid pro quo for silence on the direct blocking of BiH's path to NATO, the HDZ receives full support from the RS for amendments to the Constitution and the Election Law, because the HDZ's proposed Election Law does not cross the entity boundary, so Dodik and the SNSD have no problem with it.

For this reason, the Russian ambassador gives support to the HDZ as a quid pro quo for the HDZ's silence on the registration of military property.

The President of HDZ 1990, Ilija Cvitanović, told Čović that he must not bring Croats closer to Russia, but Čović does not listen to him at all. To achieve his goal of creating a third electoral unit through which he would finally secure all so-called Croatian positions in government for himself and the HDZ, Čović is ready to bring Croats closer to the "black devil", not Russia, which Russia and its ambassador in BiH are using in the best possible way.

Through Dodik and Čović, Russia achieves its interests in BiH, all under the guise of non-interference in internal relations in BiH, giving direct support to Čović, and thereby directly slowing down BiH's European and NATO path.

Although the Russian ambassador has the opportunity to express his opinion at PIC sessions, he has nevertheless chosen to defend Russian interests and positions in BiH through the pages of the HDZ's unofficial bulletin.

And in the end, everyone is satisfied. The wolf is full and the sheep are safe.