Bosnia politics

Al Jazeera’s journalist reporting from Banja Luka, Bosnia

09 Jan 2022 7 3

Branislav Borenovic

Inserted 2 years ago

“Dodik survives on conflict. He hates stability because he then has to explain why we are living like we do. Mr. Dodik plays on the emotions of his people and doesn't care about the consequences.”

Nytimes

Opposition leader in Republika Srpska (Bosnia Herzegovina)

02 Jan 2022 3 2

Christian Schmidt

Inserted 2 years ago

“Not all MPs are there, but I hope they will attend and take the opportunity to talk because parliament is a place for dialogue. Bosnia and Herzegovina is now in a situation where certain elected representatives are paralyzing the work of state institutions, which is not in line with the oath that everyone has taken, and politicians who do not focus on real challenges, in the long run, will not have support.”

High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina

28 Oct 2021 0 5

Emir Suljagic

Inserted 2 years ago

“Mono-ethnic institutions like the ones Mr. Dodik plans to re-create are vehicles for genocide in the 1990s. Police, military, intelligence, and security services were at the centre of organised and systematic violence against non-Serbs. These institutions considered Bosniaks' existence an existential threat. If we fail to deter these threats, the ultimate price we will pay is another Srebrenica [genocide].”

Director of the Srebrenica Memorial Centre

17 Oct 2021 5 5

Milorad Dodik

Inserted 2 years ago

“The agreement we have given for the defense law, the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, and the Indirect Taxation Authority will be withdrawn. We will withdraw consent for the [joint] army in a vote in the Serb-run Republika Srpska parliament.”

Rferl

Serbian member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency

08 Oct 2021 4 5

Eric Nelson

Inserted 2 years ago

“Sanctions are possible against those politicians who undermine progress in the Western Balkans, as well as against those who support them in that.”

US Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina

13 Aug 2021 1 3

Christian Schmidt

Inserted 2 years ago

“There is absolutely no acceptable reason for glorifying convicted war criminals. My understanding is such that I'm not here to bring my own narratives … it's necessary that we see history, we respect history, especially that we respect victims. I have chosen to come here because I feel accountable, especially as a German who knows that his country contributed to many bad things in this region in the last century. I am not someone who is here for a journey or who has come here to drink coffee or wine, I am here to move certain things forward, which means I understand that task very seriously. Dayton and the Peace Agreement - I really give a recommendation to read those again. We are here to solve problems and I'm convinced that through meaningful discussions and things we can come to adequate results with all three representatives.”

High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina

04 Aug 2021 1 5

Christian Schmidt

Inserted 2 years ago

“I am honored and pleased to serve your country and its people in the years to come. I take office firmly determined to help people. I do not want to promise anything impossible for the time to come, but I assure you that I will use all my strength… to ensure that this country… has hope for a better future.”

High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina

02 Aug 2021 0 3

Milorad Dodik

Inserted 2 years ago

“Mr Schmidt [Christian Schmidt], you are not welcome here. You are not an elected High Representative and Republika Srpska will not respect your decisions.”

Serbian member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency

01 Aug 2021 3 3

Nedeljko Cubrilovic

Inserted 2 years ago

“We believe that there are no conditions for Serb representatives to work in the joint institutions of Bosnia, in the presidency, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Council of Ministers.”

Speaker of the Republika Srpska parliament

26 Jul 2021 1 3

Mirko Sarovic

Inserted 2 years ago

“We will never again accept any decision … of the high representative.”

President of the Serb Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina

26 Jul 2021 1 3

Branislav Borenovic

Inserted 2 years ago

“As of tomorrow, Serb political representatives will no longer participate in the work of the common institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and will not make any decisions until this issue is resolved.”

Opposition leader in Republika Srpska (Bosnia Herzegovina)

26 Jul 2021 0 2

Vedran Džihić

Inserted 2 years ago

“Behind that is the need to protect Dodik's own position and the SNSD structures, which in RS [Republika Srpska] have created a kind of kleptocratic-clientelistic rule, which behind the screen of caring for the Serbian people and nationalist rhetoric ultimately takes care of itself. The position of Dodik and SNSD [Alliance of Independent Social Democrats] is well shaken in some parts of RS and they feel it. It is also a reason for great nervousness and intensified ethnonationalism rhetoric and artificially raising tensions and creating crises. For politicians like Milorad Dodik, ready to do anything to stay in power and protect their own privileges and the privileges of the clique, there is no life outside of politics.”

Senior Researcher with the Austrian Institute for International Affairs and a lecturer at the University of Vienna

08 Jun 2021 5 4

Milorad Dodik

Inserted 2 years ago

“The election of a new High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina [Christian Schmidt] must go through the United Nations Security Council, without which we will consider Christian Schmidt a tourist. If this appointment is not carried out with the relevant UN Security Council Resolution, the High Representative will have no legitimacy.”

Serbian member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency

08 Jun 2021 (approx) 4 2

Milorad Dodik

Inserted 2 years ago

“The Office of the High Representative in Bosnia should be closed. The international community's experiment in Bosnia and attempts to appoint a new high representative must be stopped.”

Serbian member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency

02 Jun 2021 1 3

Valentin Inzko

Inserted 2 years ago

“Perhaps the international community made a mistake when it changed gears too quickly from what we had - a robust, strong, international presence - to domestic responsibility, domestic solutions.”

Rferl

High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina

29 May 2021 0 2

Milorad Dodik

Inserted 3 years ago

“We cannot talk about the European path without talking about the current political situation in BiH. Many believe that BiH has a systemic error in terms of its existence. There are different opinions – according to one of them, the signing of the Dayton Accords itself began the integration process. The second opinion goes towards unitary country creation, while the third goes towards the need of full autonomy preservation, and the fourth that BiH should disband peacefully. Because of all that, BiH is a much more complex country today, and many even consider it a failure or a country of frozen conflict, which is not able to find a basic internal consensus.”

Serbian member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency

14 May 2021 2 4

Milorad Dodik

Inserted 3 years ago

“We want our state [Republika Srpska], no matter how much you like it or not. We have our entity border. It just needs to be thickened.”

Serbian member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency

08 May 2021 1 3

Milorad Dodik

Inserted 3 years ago

“It's an impressive uproar that arose only because someone mentioned the story of peaceful disintegration. It is like atomic disintegration. Peaceful disintegration should be placed as one of the important options to discuss. Whether it will be peaceful or something violent does not depend on us. But I will be persistent in insisting that BiH cannot suceed, there is no chance of success, and there is no basic agreement on anything. BiH was created out of their idea of a great liberal order in the world, to show that the peoples who fought can reconcile. I have no need to reconcile with anyone. I do not want to be a prisoner of the misconceptions of the 1990s and not be able to talk about it 25 years after the war.”