Bosnia’s Ambassador in Canada, Marko Milisav, said on Tuesday that the reason for his refusal to follow an instruction by Bosnia’s Foreign Affairs Minister to lower the Bosnian flag to half-mast on Saturday in light of the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide is that the minister made the decision “on her own initiative” and that there was no such decision by the Council of Ministers - which would be binding.
The ambassador provided the explanation after the Institute for Research of Genocide in Canada (IGC) condemned the fact that the Embassy failed to follow the instruction and called upon the Chairman of Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency and its Bosniak member, Sefik Dzaferovic, as well as Foreign Affairs Minister, Bisera Turkovic, to initiate a disciplinary procedure against him.
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“All diplomatic and consular representative offices and missions of Bosnia and Herzegovina (including the residences of ambassadors-heads of diplomatic and consular missions) are obliged to lower the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina to half-mast on July 11, in accordance with Article 20 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” the IGC quoted Turkovic’s instruction.
But ambassador Milisav told the Srna news agency that nobody is allowed to use the diplomatic-consular network for the interests of only one of Bosnia’s peoples and argued that such practice is detrimental to the country's reputation.
“Like it or not, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country of three constituent peoples, not just one, and all decisions must be made through consensus. As an ambassador, I am only obliged – and this is also my position and personal commitment – to represent decisions that were agreed upon and the interests of all three peoples,” he said.
He added that he believes only the Serb member of the Presidency, Milorad Dodik, can hold him accountable since he was appointed to the ambassador post on Dodik’s proposal.
Milisav also denied the IGC’s allegation that the Bosnian flag was completely removed on Saturday, saying that it was torn away during a recent storm in Ottawa, along with the mast, and that it will be returned and displayed properly when a new one is procured.
“Due to poor communication and a generally negative attitude towards Serb ambassadors in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Council of Ministers, I cannot specify when this process will be completed,” he said, strongly criticising media in Bosnia’s semi-autonomous Federation (FBiH) region and accusing it of failing to check the facts behind the allegations.
He also said that his family is “exposed to threats and distasteful comments from extremist Bosniak organizations and individuals” because of the “unprofessional” articles published in certain media in FBiH.
