Turčalo: Matviyenko's speech full of contradictions, Russia supports BiH only as long as it is a weak state

Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matviyenko spoke on Monday in the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her key messages are that the government in BiH should be divided between the entities, restructure BiH's judiciary, abolish the institution of the High Representative, and prevent the West from deciding the fate of BiH.

Professor of International Relations at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo, Dr. Sead Turčalo, in an interview with the Patria news agency, discusses the intensity of Russian influence in BiH, the messages Matviyenko sent from the podium of the State Parliament, and possible responses to Russian interference in BiH politics.

Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matviyenko spoke today in the Parliament of BiH. Until now, there was speculation about tacit Russian influence in BiH. Can we, after today's visit to Sarajevo, speak about open Russian activity in the country?

- The intensity of Russian influence in BiH has been growing since 2009 and the arrival of then-Russian Ambassador Aleksandar Bocan Harcenko, when it became clear that the RF intends to seriously exploit the weakening of other international actors in BiH. Matviyenko essentially only outlined the direction in which the malignant influence of the RF can still be expected to go, and her arrival, amid various international activities in the region and BiH, confirmed that Russia also sees these areas as its zone of influence.

Matviyenko accused the West of interfering in the internal affairs of BiH. She said that BiH should decide its own fate. On the other hand, she openly advocated for the division of power between BiH entities, which aligns with the interests of the authorities from Banja Luka. After Sarajevo, Matviyenko will visit the National Assembly of the RS, but not the Federal Parliament... Is this not also an open favoring of one side in BiH?

- Matviyenko's entire speech is actually full of contradictions, framed by messages that Russia supports BiH only as long as it exists as a weak state where entities have a dominant role. She emphasized that the international community should not interfere in BiH, yet proposes changes in the structure of the state judiciary. She speaks of respecting the state of BiH, but stresses that power should be handed over to the entities, spinning the story in the direction that today's BiH is some new state, not the one that continued the international legal continuity of the R BiH.

What is the response to what is now open Russian interference in the internal affairs of BiH?

- The most effective response to Russian interference is what Montenegro did in foreign policy terms. Instead of the eastern alternative, it chose Euro-Atlantic integration. This is a much more complicated task in BiH, but it is necessary for those who claim to be for Euro-Atlantic integration to show a stronger commitment in that direction.