International community's administrator is an anachronism in an independent Bosnia, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Croatian Foreign and European Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman during his stay in this country, adding that it means BiH is thus a foreign protectorate.

Lavrov said he agreed with Croatia's position that it is important to maintain the constituency of all three peoples in Bosnia and their right to elect legitimate representatives in all government institutions, including the tripartite Presidency.

“Therefore, we believe the [BiH] Election Law requires a reform. We don't have the need to confront other countries over their accession to alliances, so our position regarding BiH and its NATO accession is the same. BiH is an independent country, despite the fact that it still has an external protectorate in the form of a High Representative, which I consider an anachronism. In accordance with its Constitution and the Dayton Agreement, BiH should decide on its own foreign policy. Everyone should respect the decisions made by BiH, which are in accordance with the Dayton Agreement, but it should be understood that BiH does not exist without respecting all three peoples. That also means respecting the position of the Republika Srpska entity on military neutrality,” Lavrov said.

Russia's Lavrov stayed in Bosnia earlier this week where he was boycotted by the Bosniak and Croat presidency member for attending a meeting, a day earlier, in the country's Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity without a Bosnian flag in the room. This was interpreted as his disrespect for Bosnia and its official institutions.