New scandal: Republika Srpska entity flag displayed in BiH embassy in Austria

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ambassador to Austria, Sinisa Bencun, has come under criticism after photographs from a meeting with the Minister of Economy of the Una-Sana Canton, Samra Mehic, showed the entity flag prominently displayed in his office.

Alongside the state flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the flag of Republika Srpska could be seen placed in a visible position, triggering political reactions and public debate.

While the Republika Srpska flag is legal within Bosnia and Herzegovina, its display inside a diplomatic mission abroad is considered problematic. According to the rules of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entity flags should not be displayed in premises that exclusively represent the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bencun’s move appears to be in contradiction with the Decision on the Conduct of Employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diplomatic-Consular Missions, adopted in February 2022. The decision, signed by then Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic, explicitly instructs ambassadors to use only official state symbols of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in line with the country’s laws.

The incident is also being cited as a potential violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which defines the rules of diplomatic representation and stipulates that embassies and their heads may display only the flag and coat of arms of the state they represent.

The Law on the Flag and the Law on the Coat of Arms clearly regulate the external appearance of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s embassy buildings. While ambassadors have a degree of discretion in arranging interior spaces, these must reflect the official symbols of the state.

The case has once again highlighted the fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina still does not have an adopted Law on Foreign Affairs, which would more precisely regulate such situations and help prevent similar political controversies in the future.