Head of Bosnia's government presented his own and the stances of his political party during the Berlin meeting of the Western Balkan leaders, Chairman of Bosnia's tripartite Presidency Milorad Dodik said on Tuesday, a day after the region's senior officials met in Berlin under auspices of the German Chancellor and the President of France.

Prior to the meeting, Dodik voiced his dissatisfaction over the fact that he was not the one who would be attending the summit instead of Denis Zvizdic, the Chairman of Bosnia's Council of Ministers.

In a letter he sent to Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron prior to the meeting, Bosnian Serb leader, who represents Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity in the state institutions, said that Zvizdic was not authorised by the Presidency to represent the country “in such an important gathering.”

This was the breach of the country's Constitution, according to Dodik.

A day after the Berlin meeting, which discussed developments in the region with a focus on Belgrade-Pristina relations, Dodik reiterated that Zvizdic never consulted the Presidency on the stances he would be presenting at the summit.

According to him, Zvizdic was acting there as a representative of the country which recognised Kosovo “although it is clear to all participants of the forum that Bosnia and Herzegovina did not recognise Kosovo's independence nor it can do so without the consent of Republika Srpska.” 

 “All he did or was obliged does not oblige anyone else except him because he did not represent Bosnia and Herzegovina there. This is exactly why I found it necessary prior to his departure to Berlin to inform the organisers that he cannot be the one to speak on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he said.

But Sefik Dzaferovic, another member of Bosnia's tripartite Presidency disagrees. Denis Zvizdic's attendance was in line with the law as were the stances he presented there.

Berlin gathering was supposed to encourage Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and this could only produce positive and not negative consequences for Bosnia.

“Zvizdic did nothing out of that scope. Whoever represents Bosnia and Herzegovina must and has to present it only in that way,” said Dzaferovic, a senior member of the leading Bosniak SDA party, the same political group which nominated Zvizdic to the helm of the Council of Ministers five years ago.