After having lost the support of the international community and after even Croatia’s politicians dropped him, Bosnian Croat leader Dragan Covic turned to "the last straw" - Russia and the Serbs, political analyst Ivana Maric told N1.

Covic, the leader of the ruling Bosnian Croat party, the Croat Democratic Union (HDZ), and the Bosnian Croat member of the country’s tripartite presidency, visited Belgrade and met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Thursday.

Maric wondered what was really hiding behind the official statements about the visit.

“Covic has lost the support of the international community, which used to be the key issue,” Maric said.

Covic is one of the leaders of a Croat National Council in Bosnia which has openly requested the country to be further divided along ethnic lines. He often enjoyed the support of neighboring Croatia, a EU member.

But “Croatia calmed down with its statements regarding that issue. He lost all support, so he looked for support elsewhere,” she said. “Too often, that is Russia now and Serb links through Dodik,” she said, referring to the Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik with whom he announced a post-election coalition.

“I don’t see why Serbia would get involved but it is the last straw Dragan Covic is hanging on to,” she said.

Nobody should be surprised by the cooperation between the Croat Democratic Union and Dodik’s Alliance of Intependent Social Democrats (SNSD), she said.

“They are helping each other, especially when it comes to blocking things. We don’t know how important some of the functions they hold are until they use them to obstruct,” she said.

“A large number of citizens never heard about the deputy chairman and when we do, it’s because he blocked something,” she explained. “They don’t do anything positive so we can hear about them earlier.”

She noted that Aleksandar Vucic profits from exercising control over Covic and Dodik because he uses that control to get something he needs from the international community.