Sovereignty rests only with the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and not with its two semi-autonomous entities, the Office of the High Representative (OHR) said on Monday following statements that Milorad Dodik, one of the members of the tripartite state Presidency, gave to Serbian media.

Dodik told Politika that “there is not internal sovereignty of BiH” and that “only the entities” have it.

The OHR, which is the institution of the international officials overseeing the civilian implementation of the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement in BiH, reacted to the statement.

“As stated in Article I.1 of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the entities were legally established as part of the internal structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which continued its existence under international law as a state with its internal structure modified,” the OHR said.

“Therefore, the sovereignty rests with the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina and not with the entities,” it said.