Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vasili Nebenzia, reiterated Moscow's position before the Security Council, which is discussing the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, that Christian Schmidt is not considered a "legitimate High Representative" in BiH.

“We want to say that we do not consider German citizen Christian Schmidt to be a legitimate High Representative. The UN Security Council did not give the appropriate consent for his appointment to this position,” Nebenzia said.

He added that for a quarter of a century there has been a practice of appointing high representatives…

“Moreover, attempts to circumvent this seem cynical when such a destructive initiative for BiH comes from the states that consider themselves bearers of jurisprudence and procedural law,” the Russian Ambassador concluded.

At the end of his address, Nebenzi said Moscow believes the post of High Representative remains vacant.

“His (Schmidt's) presence in the room in this capacity undermines the authority of the UN Security Council,” said the Russian ambassador to the United Nations.