Stoltenberg visited, Bosnia remained insecure: We'll join NATO when Dodik and Putin agree, which is never!

By Rasim Belko

The visit of the Secretary General of the world's most powerful military alliance, NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, was supposed to bring at least a narrative of security to the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Instead, we heard messages from which we clearly read that the security of Bosnia and Herzegovina directly depends on Russia and its political exponents in our country.
Because, what the head of NATO and the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of BiH said in their address to the public clearly indicates that secessionist Milorad Dodik is telling the truth when he says that Bosnia and Herzegovina's path to NATO is impossible and that only cooperation with NATO is possible.

If it were otherwise, Stoltenberg and Krišto would be talking about the necessary steps and reforms to pave the way for our country to the North Atlantic Alliance. Instead, Stoltenberg, like bad PR for a bad government, praises the reform moves of the Council of Ministers on the path to the EU. And the European Commission's report says that this path does not exist because there is no progress in reforms.

But let's return to the NATO path, which also does not exist. “Every country has the right to choose its own security arrangements without external interference,” says Stoltenberg, and between the lines proves Dodik's claim that we will join NATO only when and if Serbia joins that alliance.

Because Bosnia and Herzegovina, structured in a way that it is led by three warring factions, which have transferred conflicts from the military to the political arena, has no single stance in foreign policy or foreign policy goals. Therefore, nothing can be decided within Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding (non)accession to NATO. The status quo will last as long as the policies that follow the projects of dividing Bosnia and Herzegovina last. These policies are led by Dodik and Dragan Čović (head of Borjana Krišto), and they are absolutely satisfied with the message from NATO that we will join the Alliance only if we decide so ourselves.

Stoltenberg today, as many times before, stated that NATO is concerned about secessionist and divisive rhetoric, as well as malign external influence, especially from Russia.

If Stoltenberg knew, and he did know, that secessionism and divisive rhetoric undermine the very existence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, how can he then expect a country in such a state to make a decision on accession to NATO or any other alliance. On the other hand, can anyone believe that officials from the USA, Great Britain, and other Western European countries did not “twist the arms” of politicians in the Eastern European bloc until they said “let's go to NATO”? In Bosnia and Herzegovina, instead of such a policy, Stoltenberg and the Alliance he leads hypocritically expect those who are working on the disintegration of the state to say they want to join NATO, knowing that after that, any possibility of its division disappears.

The Secretary General, in almost every address concerning Bosnia and Herzegovina, mentions Russia's influence. But it is interesting that Stoltenberg never equates divisive policies (secessionist divisions) with Russian influence that undermines the stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

For example, Igor Kalabuhov, the Russian ambassador to BiH, openly threatened that Russia would respond in case BiH joined NATO. And secessionist Milorad Dodik will soon visit Putin. There, he will receive new tasks to break up Bosnia and Herzegovina by keeping the atmosphere heated to the point of escalation.

There is no doubt that all insecurity and instability in Bosnia and Herzegovina come from the Moscow - Banja Luka route. As long as that same line of interest decides the fate of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it will not allow even serious cooperation with NATO, let alone BiH's entry into the Alliance.

And Stoltenberg knows this. The question is, why doesn't he dare to say it?

The answer could form the thesis that perhaps NATO also benefits from a bogeyman like the Russian bear. This is how they manage to scare all small countries into thinking that the Russian bear will swallow them if they don't take NATO allies to protect them.

And that protection is paid for with what is colloquially called “protection money.” And while naive citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina believe that one day they will finally be at ease and safe under the NATO umbrella, NATO officials and allies allow investors from their countries to extort BiH's wealth in exchange for “protection.”

Therefore, Stoltenberg's visit to Sarajevo should be seen as another protocol activity of the Alliance's leaders. As they say, marking territory, not to say it the way dogs do!