Meinl-Reisinger travels to Sarajevo

Austria and Germany are imposing entry restrictions on the president of the Serbian part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik. The pro-Russian and secessionist president, along with two other politicians from the Republika Srpska (RS), are to be prevented from entering Germany and Austria, said Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS) on Thursday in Sarajevo, where she met with the German EU State Secretary Anna Lührmann (Green).

"Measures are being initiated to prevent three responsible RS politicians from entering Austria and Germany in the future," declared Meinl-Reisinger and Lührmann in a joint statement. Austria and Germany are acting "in close coordination and together with other European partners decisively against the responsible politicians from the Bosnian entity."

Meinl-Reisinger Advocated for Sanctioning Dodik

Meinl-Reisinger had previously spoken out in favor of sanctioning Dodik. Dodik is already subject to US sanctions. Joint EU sanctions have so far been blocked by a Hungarian veto.

"Milorad Dodik has taken his secessionist provocations and actions to a new peak and has also clearly crossed legal red lines," emphasized Meinl-Reisinger. This threatens the security, stability, constitutional order, and territorial integrity of the Western Balkan country. "We no longer want to tolerate such behavior." Lührmann added: "The line has clearly been crossed!"

Previously, it became known that Interpol had rejected the issuance of an international arrest warrant against Dodik. The Bosnian State Court had requested such a warrant against Dodik, RS Parliamentary President Nenad Stevandić, and RS Prime Minister Radovan Višković last week. Two weeks earlier, the prosecutor's office had ordered Dodik's arrest for disregarding the international Bosnia envoy. Dodik had unilaterally declared the jurisdiction of the judiciary and police of the Bosnian central state over the Republika Srpska to be terminated, even though the Republika Srpska is part of Bosnia, and threatened to secede the region.

The request for an international arrest warrant was rejected based on Article 3 of the Interpol Statutes, which prohibits political persecution, according to media reports. Dodik then thanked Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who, according to him, had lodged a complaint against the arrest warrant. His thanks also went to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, wrote the nationalist politician on the platform X.

Meinl-Reisinger Meets Bosnian Prime Minister

Foreign Minister Meinl-Reisinger is visiting Sarajevo until Friday. Scheduled are meetings of the NEOS chairwoman with her Bosnian counterpart Elmedin Konaković and the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt. Meinl-Reisinger will also meet with the Bosnian Prime Minister Borjana Krišto. A visit to the EU protection force EUFOR at Camp Butmir is also planned.

Due to tensions over separatist efforts in the Serbian part of the country, EUFOR was recently reinforced. Currently, the force consists of around 1,000 soldiers, with Austria being the largest contributor with 227 soldiers. The long-time former Bosnia envoy Valentin Inzko recently advocated in an APA interview for a stronger presence of EUFOR soldiers, particularly in the northern Bosnian district of Brčko, to avert the threat of war. Inzko warned against "appeasement," meaning "a policy of yielding and further concessions" towards Dodik. "Those who want to destroy the state must face consequences," emphasized Inzko.

Bosnia and Herzegovina with EU Candidate Status

Since December 2022, Bosnia and Herzegovina has held the status of an EU candidate country. The European Union decided in March of the previous year to start accession negotiations. Austria supports the gradual integration of the Western Balkans into the EU, for which it also advocates in the group of states known as the "Friends of the Western Balkans." In addition to Austria, the group includes Italy, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

In 1995, following the three-year war with more than 100,000 deaths, Bosnia and Herzegovina was divided according to the Dayton Peace Agreement into the predominantly Bosnian Serb-inhabited Republika Srpska and the Croat-Muslim Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The two semi-autonomous regions are connected by a weak central government. The Dayton Agreement also enshrines the influential office of a High Representative of the UN, who oversees the peace treaty.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.