Konakovic: BiH will respond to Russian threats with the help of friends

Reacting to the visit of former Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik to Moscow and subsequent messages from Russian officials, particularly Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Konakovic said Sarajevo is neither surprised by Russia's actions nor by Lavrov's statements and is "fully prepared" to respond.

"We immediately discussed this with our international partners. Some of them are members of the United Nations Security Council, and we will certainly respond appropriately and in a timely manner to what Russia has repeatedly attempted, using the Republika Srpska entity and exploiting Milorad Dodik's subservient stance. Russia uses RS as a space where, by creating problems, it strengthens its position for negotiations elsewhere in the world," Konakovic said, as cited by the Fena news agency.

On Tuesday, Lavrov confirmed that Moscow continues to support Dodik, whom it still considers the RS president, even though his term legally ended after he was sentenced to one year in prison.

Lavrov also announced that Russia will prepare especially for the UN Security Council session scheduled for 31 October, which will include the regular six-month review of the situation in BiH and a decision on extending the mandate of the EU military mission (EUFOR).

Lavrov did not explicitly comment on Dodik's earlier statements that he would ask Russia to veto the mandate extension, as he views EUFOR as an occupying force.

Konakovic responded by noting that NATO has repeatedly stated that it will not allow a security vacuum in BiH.

"There is the option of NATO forces intervening if the EUFOR mission were to cease. Russia and Dodik know this, and it is certainly a worse scenario for them. That is why they have so far refrained from using their veto to end EUFOR's mission. As much as Dodik works with his allies on the international stage, including possibly (Viktor) Orban, who is his other 'half-advisor', we are working twice as hard with all our friends and allies to maintain stability in the region and in BiH," the foreign minister said, emphasising that there are enough UN Security Council members ready to respond to Russia's destructive attempts.

He added that it is important that there are "sound forces" in RS aware that Milorad Dodik's "reckless policies", supported by Russia, could only lead to a new conflict.