Russian Embassy in Sarajevo said it was “unpleasantly” surprised with the statement that the Office of the High Representative (OHR) signed alongside other embassies in Bosnia regarding the situation in Bosnia's state judiciary, the embassy said on Friday.

“The Embassy of the Russian Federation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is unpleasantly surprised with the statement of the Office of the High Representative regarding the attempts to undermine the dignity of judicial bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, i.e. the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) and its President,” said the embassy.

Instead of supporting the independence of these institutions, the OHR decided to “exert pressure on the institutions of sovereign Bosnia and Herzegovina with an arrogant interference in their work and imposing its own view on how to solve this issue.”

“We find such behaviour irresponsible. The OHR is obliged to express stances of the entire international community and not of some of the members of its choice or its own stance,” said the Embassy of Russia reiterating that meddling with work of judicial bodies is unacceptable.

The Embassy called on all judicial bodies in Bosnia and Herzegovina to perform their duty in a responsible, professional and independent way, as prescribed by the law and the Constitution, and without a fear from external interference.

The Office of the High Representative, the foreign administrator in Bosnia appointed to oversee the implementation of the 1995 peace agreement, joined on Friday four embassies and the OSCE Mission in Bosnia in a statement, expressing concern over the situation in Bosnia's judiciary, particularly in the HJPC.

The ambassadors’ statement came amid an ongoing affair allegedly involving top judicial official, HJPC President Milan Tegeltija. They urged competent institutions to hold responsible those who allegedly committed wrongdoing.