Schmidt admitted resigning after 'huge' US pressure

(Patria) - High Representative for BiH Christian Schmidt admitted that pressure from the US contributed to his decision to leave the post prematurely, writes the German news agency dpa.

Responding earlier to a question from the German daily "Augsburger Allgemeine" on whether US President Donald Trump had pressured him to leave the post, Schmidt admitted that Washington had a certain role in his decision.

Although he said he did not know Trump's personal stance on the matter, he added "that there was huge and unexpected pressure from the US".

In an interview published today, Schmidt stated that he wanted to prevent the institution of the High Representative from being "undermined by this discussion", the background of which is not entirely clear to him.

The pressure on Schmidt to resign could also be related to the fact that the former president of RS, Milorad Dodik, supported gas power plant and pipeline projects backed by businessmen close to Trump, including a pipeline from Croatia to BiH.

- That issue did play a role, but I was never against that project - Schmidt said.

He emphasized that the construction of the pipeline from Croatia to BiH was initiated by the European Union to reduce Bosnia and Herzegovina's dependence on Russian oil and gas.

Schmidt also said that he was particularly surprised by the fact that the EU failed to realize the construction of this pipeline with European funds, which is why BiH is now relying on American support, with the Americans, as he stated, also partially acting with their own ideas, reports dpa.

The High Representative has significant powers to implement the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the war in BiH. The Office of the High Representative has the authority to dismiss elected officials, enact laws, and establish new institutions.

Christian Schmidt, a German politician who has held the position since August 2021, announced on May 12 that he was resigning, stating that it was a personal decision.

During his mandate, Schmidt annulled several laws adopted by RS, which, according to the assessments of the international community, were aimed at creating preconditions for the secession of that entity.