NATO's "secessionist rhetoric" and "malicious" interference in Bosnia are worrying NATO, its Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday (20 November) from Sarajevo, displaying the Atlantic Alliance's firm support for the territorial integrity of the divided Balkan country.
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We are worried about secessionist rhetoric, which seeks division, and malign foreign interference" in Bosnia, Stoltenberg said, citing Russia in particular. Divided since the end of the intercommunal war (1992-1995) along ethnic fault lines, Bosnia is composed of two entities, one Serb and one Croat-Muslim, linked by a weak central government.
Possible secession
The political leader of the Bosnian Serbs, Milorad Dodik, who is nurturing his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, regularly raises the possibility of a secession of the Serbian entity, the Republika Srpska (RS). According to the NATO Secretary General, the current situation risks jeopardizing "stability" in the country and hampering ongoing reforms. "Allies strongly support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina," he said. "Your security is important for the Western Balkans region and for Europe."
Jens Stoltenberg's statement comes days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Moscow of wanting to create new crises in the Balkans and Moldova to distract the world from the war in Ukraine. "Pay attention to the Balkans. Believe me, we are getting information: Russia has a plan (...) If the countries of the world do nothing now, there will be such an explosion again," Zelensky was quoted as saying by Ukrainian media on Thursday.
Read alsoEuropean Union: agreement to grant candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the European military mission in Bosnia (Eufor-Althea) has increased its presence in Bosnia, increasing the number of military personnel from 500 to 1100. Jens Stoltenberg is on tour of the Western Balkans. After Bosnia, where he met with Bosnian Prime Minister Borjana Kristo, he is scheduled to travel to Kosovo, Serbia, and North Macedonia.