Schmidt once again acts as BiH Foreign Minister, while early elections in RS are questionable!?

By: Amina Čorbo-Zećo

High Representative Christian Schmidt continues a practice that has long been met with ridicule and disapproval in the domestic public, behaving as if he were the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The latest example comes from Berlin, where he met with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and spoke about "BiH's challenges and opportunities on its European path" and assessed that the political situation is "unsatisfactory".

To make matters more absurd, while Schmidt is giving statements in Berlin about BiH's European perspective, key institutions in the country are not doing their jobs. The move by the Minister of Finance and Treasury of BiH, Srđan Amidžić, who is obstructing the securing of funds for holding early elections in Republika Srpska, is particularly concerning. Deputy Minister Muhamed Hasanović is also not managing well, but Schmidt, of course, remains silent about this.

If he truly cares about the rule of law, as he claims, the logical step would be to use his Bonn powers and prevent the financial blockade of the electoral process.

Instead, Schmidt is spending his energy on meetings abroad and statements that sound as if they come from the office of the BiH Minister of Foreign Affairs, a function that already exists and is regulated by law.

The OHR has long become a political screen behind which Schmidt builds his own international image, while key problems in BiH remain unresolved.

Bosnia and Herzegovina does not need another "Foreign Minister" on paper, but an authoritative High Representative who will act when the democratic order and electoral process are directly threatened.