The head of the European Union Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Johann Sattler, has called on the country's authorities to follow the Union's policy on the Ukraine crisis and support the sanctions against Russia.

Speaking in an interview with the Nezavisne Novine daily on Monday, Sattler recalled that Bosnia and Herzegovina had an obligation stemming from its EU membership application to align with the EU's foreign policy.

Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia are the only Western Balkan countries that have not imposed sanctions against Russia similar to those imposed by the EU member states.

Unlike the government in Belgrade, which considered the possibility of imposing sanctions but decided against it citing the need to protect its own national interests, Sarajevo has not even discussed the option because the three members of the state presidency have opposed views on the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.

While Presidency Chairman and Bosnian Croat member, Zeljko Komsic, and the Bosniak member, Sefik Dzaferovic, immediately strongly condemned the invasion, the Bosnian Serb member Milorad Dodik avoided any criticism of Moscow insisting that Bosnia and Herzegovina should remain neutral in this situation.

Dodik said he would vote against imposing sanctions on Russia should this matter be put on the agenda of the presidency, which is the only body responsible for Bosnia and Herzegovina's foreign policy.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's diplomats appointed by Dodik pursue his policy of silence, while others support the West. The country's ambassador to the United Nations, Sven Alkalaj, supported the UN declaration condemning Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, and the ambassador to the Council of Europe, Ivan Orlic, voted in favour of the suspension of Russia's membership in this organisation.

Sattler said that for now there were no indications of a possible spillover of the Ukraine crisis to Bosnia and Herzegovina, but stressed that contingency plans should be made for any possible development.

That is why the number of EUFOR personnel has been virtually doubled from 600 to 1,100, as a precaution, he said.

Speaking of internal problems in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sattler called on Bosnian Serb officials to stop their blockade of the state institutions and return to talks on the reform of electoral legislation because this issue has to be resolved as soon as possible.