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 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," Meinl-Reisinger and Lührmann stated in a joint release. 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 advocated for 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 clearly crossed legal red lines," emphasized Meinl-Reisinger. This threatens the security, stability, constitutional order, and territorial integrity of the Western Balkan country. Lührmann added: "The line has clearly been crossed!"

Dodik also "abandons his population, who want a path to Europe," explained Meinl-Reisinger in a conversation with Austrian journalists in Sarajevo. Therefore, it is "important to take a clear stand." The sanctions are "a strong signal. The word of the Austrians carries weight here in Bosnia and Herzegovina," said the Foreign Minister, who also announced plans to "continue discussing" the issue with her EU colleagues.

The decided measure also includes, according to diplomats, Dodik's transit and onward travel from Austria. The entry ban, especially for Austria, is "a real problem" for Dodik, said the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, to journalists. Dodik uses Vienna "as a contact point to meet one or another. The symbolic value is very high."

There is a national arrest warrant against Dodik. However, Interpol refused to issue an international arrest warrant against him on Wednesday, as it is a political procedure. The Bosnian State Court had requested an international arrest warrant against Dodik, RS Parliamentary President Nenad Stevandić, and RS Prime Minister Radovan Višković last week. Dodik had unilaterally declared the jurisdiction of the judiciary and police of the Bosnian central state over the Republika Srpska to be ended, even though the Republika Srpska is part of Bosnia, and threatened to secede the region. Two weeks earlier, the Bosnian prosecutor's office had also ordered Dodik's arrest because he failed to comply with a summons to testify.

Dodik Not Yet Arrested

Dodik, who had traveled to Israel and Russia in recent days, has not yet been arrested, even though the border police should have arrested him due to the national arrest warrant. However, the Bosnian special police unit Sipa considers the arrest to be dangerous: Dodik is protected around the clock by dozens of armed security forces. There are fears that an arrest could only be carried out violently. Many are therefore concerned. However, observers do not fear an immediate threat of war.

Due to the tensions surrounding the separatist efforts in the Serbian part of the country, the EU protection force 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 welcomed the decision to impose a travel ban on Dodik in a statement to the APA on Thursday. Other states should follow this example, as too much time has already passed. "In times when international law is being trampled on, this step is absolutely right," said Inzko.

Wolfgang Petritsch, also a former Bosnia envoy, warned in the "Presse" that Dodik might opt for escalation. "One should try to reach Dodik behind the scenes to find a peaceful solution through discreet talks," said Petritsch. Dodik is trying to distract from the economically and financially dramatic situation of Republika Srpska, Petritsch noted. Republika Srpska once had 1.5 million inhabitants and now only 700,000. Additionally, the Bosnian part of the country is heavily indebted.

Bosnia and Herzegovina with EU Candidate Status

Since December 2022, Bosnia and Herzegovina has had 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.

Bosnia and Herzegovina was divided in 1995 after the three-year war with more than 100,000 dead, 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 parts of the country 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)

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