Bosnia’s Defense Minister blocks Hungarian military plane from landing

Helez explained that the decision came after the military aircraft was requested to land at Sarajevo Airport, followed by Banja Luka Airport.
“It remains unclear why exactly a military aircraft was supposed to land in Banja Luka, but in the context of the arrival of 70 members of Hungary’s special anti-terrorist police unit as support for the Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior, the timing is certainly suspicious. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has consistently supported the president of the smaller entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, in his attempts to undermine the country’s constitutional order. I am deeply convinced that the arrival of a Hungarian military aircraft was intended to provide some form of support to Milorad Dodik and his clique in their efforts to destabilize Bosnia and Herzegovina. Over the past three days, I have faced immense pressure over my refusal to approve the overflight and landing of the military plane, both from parts of the international community and from domestic political intermediaries”, Helez stated.

He emphasized that nothing is more important than Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Neither my position nor I personally. Those who know me understand that there is no pressure strong enough to make me change my decision. In fact, the greater the pressure, the more certain I am of my stance. Given that the president of the smaller Bosnian entity, Milorad Dodik, continuously claims that Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a state and that Republika Srpska is, I ask—why then did the military aircraft not land in Banja Luka,” Helez concluded.

It should be noted that, following Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary, also expressed support for Dodik after the first-instance verdict against him, calling it a “political witch hunt.”