The Office of the High Representative said Tuesday that Christian Schmidt’s visit to Banja Luka scheduled for Tuesday was not firmly scheduled and that the High Representative does not want to participate in an "orchestrated theatre play."
“The High Representative's visit to Banja Luka has not been firmly scheduled. Today, the High Representative deliberately chose not to participate in an orchestrated theatre play, taking into consideration the interests of all citizens of BiH. The High Representative continues to execute his mandate on the entire territory of BiH as set out by the Dayton Peace Agreement,” the OHR said in a statement published on X (formerly Twitter).
They added that the High Representative spoke with the RS Vice President Camil Durakovic about the situation concerning returnees in Republika Srpska. They agreed to meet soon and continue this conversation. He also met with FBiH Prime Minister Nermin Niksic and FBiH Minister for Displaced Persons and Returnees Nerin Dizdar.
The OHR concluded by saying that overheated speculation about where and whom the High Representative might visit is a distraction from the actual job that needs to be done to address real issues facing the people of BiH.
The High Representative was supposed to hold a series of meetings in Banja Luka with opposition leaders in the Republika Srpska, following the announcement by the entity President, Milorad Dodik, that the RS police would arrest him if he crossed the inter-entity line.
Previously, Dodik called Schmidt derogatory names and a false High Representative. To Dodik's threats, Schmidt replied that he is preparing to visit the RS soon, where he has a series of planned meetings. However, this never happened.
Also, Camil Durakovic issued a statement Tuesday in which he confirmed that the High Representative had given up on the announced meeting.
