In whose name and at whose expense does he travel the world: Christian Schmidt – High Representative or BiH Minister of Foreign Affairs?

(Patria) - From the first day in Sarajevo, Christian Schmidt has shown an unusual penchant for diplomatic missionary work in the name of those he does not represent. Instead of focusing on what he came for, which is to oversee the implementation of the civilian aspects of peace from Annex 10 of the Dayton Agreement, Schmidt has discovered his new passion – he likes to play the role of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Airplanes, conferences, forums, in short, journeys without purpose or effect, have become his real workplace, while his office in the OHR is clearly just a stopover.
The most recent example we saw in Bled, where BiH had two Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the appointed and official Elmedin Konaković, and one from the shadows, in the person of High Representative Christian Schmidt.

The picture was absurd. Migration is indeed a problem that Bosnia and Herzegovina has been struggling with for years, but it is truly absurd that it is diplomatically represented by a German migrant, who was neither elected, nor appointed, nor authorized to speak on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina around the world.

The question is simple: who gave Schmidt the mandate to travel the world and speak on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina? It is not written in Dayton. It is not written in the OHR's authorizations either. The BiH Parliament did not elect him. The BiH Presidency did not authorize him. The only document Schmidt holds in his hand is Annex 10, and it deals with the supervision of peace – not the conduct of foreign policy. But Schmidt behaves as if his mandate powers grow with every kilometer traveled.

An even more serious question is – who is paying for all this? It is no secret that the OHR is largely financed by the European Union, and with it, several member states of the PIC. Have taxpayers from the EU given their consent for their money to be spent on Schmidt's travels, per diems, and diplomatic appearances? Have the PIC member states said: "Here you go, spend it on the High Representative's global tour"? It is clear to everyone that they have not. Therefore, Schmidt is using funds for purposes for which they were never intended. The only question is whether someone responsible for overseeing spending in the OHR will finally ask that question.

Because, we remind you, Schmidt also paid foreign lawyers with other people's money for other people's (read: Croatian) interests. The court did not summon him, but Schmidt decided to voluntarily get involved in the case Kovačević vs. BiH – as a third party. For this, he hired a British law firm and duly paid for their services from the OHR budget. Without the consent of the PIC, without control, without accountability.

The problem is obvious. Schmidt has long ceased to be the High Representative in the sense of the Dayton Agreement. He has imposed himself as a political actor, as an unelected prime minister and a self-proclaimed Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH. No one gave him the right to do so, least of all the citizens of BiH. But Schmidt clearly counts on no one asking him the uncomfortable question: who do you actually represent, with what authority, and who pays for these trips?

The irony is that all this is done under the slogan of "strengthening BiH institutions." In reality, while the country's institutions are trying to function in a chaotic political system, Schmidt, with his parallel appearances, only takes away their space and legitimacy. Because what kind of message is it when the High Representative acts as the head of diplomacy alongside the person who is constitutionally responsible for it?

And yes, where are the Western ambassadors then to ask the question of parallelism, because if anyone in this country tried something similar in any field, I am almost certain they would face prosecution for parallelism!

Therefore, the whole story about Schmidt's travels is not harmless. It shows that the High Representative has gone far beyond the scope of his mandate, that he uses financial resources without accountability, and that he conducts his own, private version of foreign policy. And BiH does not need that.

Because in the end, while Schmidt collects airline tickets and speaks at forums, peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina are under attack as rarely as they have been since Dayton. Crises follow one another, tensions are constant, and he wants to be Dino next to Dino!

(R. Belko)