BBC: Ukrainian officials to meet BiH counterpart over Orthodox icon scandal

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A diplomatic scandal erupted after the Chairman of Bosnia's tripartite Presidency, Milorad Dodik, presented a 300-year-old icon to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday, BBC wrote Friday.

It is believed the icon was brought from Luhansk, an east Ukrainian city controlled by pro-Russian forces since 2014.

Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of Bosnia's Presidency gave the Icon whose image was published by the Srna News Agency, to Sergey Lavrov who was in a two-day visit to the country.

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Dodik's cabinet provided no comment to BBC's inquiry regarding the icon, but the British media outlet recalled the BiH media reports that the icon bore a seal of Soviet Ukraine.

Ukrainian Embassy to Bosnia sent a diplomatic note to BiH Foreign Ministry demanding information on how the icon got to Bosnia in the first place.

“Our diplomats will meet with Bosnian colleagues in the next few days,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko told BBC.