In a series of posts on Facebook, the Russian Embassy stated that Bosnia and Herzegovina is free to join any international organization such as NATO if the majority of its citizens want it, but that it must understand that "in case it joins a bloc whose main goal is to destroy of Russia” then "Russia, as a free country with an independent foreign policy, like Bosnia and Herzegovina - has the right to defend itself."
The first post of the Russian Embassy ahead of the Diplomatic Worker’s Day appeared on Monday and begins with a quote from the Russian ambassador, Igor Kalabukhov.
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“On February 10, the Day of the Diplomatic Worker is celebrated in Russia. Diplomacy is an art which has roots that go deep into the past, but sometimes it needs to be filled with young voices. I suggest that we listen to the young diplomats of the Embassy who speak in non-standard, creative language about the relations between Russia and Bosnia and Herzegovina”, he said.
The embassy then said it wants to clarify “myths about the relationship between BiH and Russia”.
“It is paradoxical, but recently, as such a concept as “globalization” is falling apart, and individual countries, political blocs, and even entire regions of the world are rapidly moving away from each other, breaking the usual economic chains, the topic of global connectivity becomes increasingly present in journalistic and public circles. The relationship between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Russia is no exception. Our countries are indeed closely connected with each other, but not in the way that many domestic and foreign media write about it”, the Embassy said, announcing that it will publish clarifications regarding the “most rooted and harmful myths” that are “imposed in order to artificially spoil honest and close relationships”.
The first claim that the Embassy commented on was that Russia could “move on to Bosnia” after Ukraine.
“It must be admitted that the Western propaganda machine has done a great job in consistently promoting such nonsense. But whether they promote it or not, it will remain nonsense and nothing else. It is important to understand that Russia was forced to declare the Special Military Operation in response to an existential threat to its security,” the Embassy said, adding that “long before February 2022, the rights of the Russian-speaking population in Donbas were grossly violated”.
“Learning and using the Russian language was banned, social, political and other freedoms of those considered Russian were restricted, not to mention how many civilians have been killed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2014 in an attempt to “restrain” the will for the freedom of the residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, and in fact – to suppress their right to a decent human relationship”, it said.
The Embassy stressed that all diplomatic attempts to address the issue were ignored.
“More than enough diplomatic attempts have been made in order to realize that they have all been simply ignored. Moreover, even the Europeans, who pretended to “mediate” those negotiations, now admit that it was just a ploy to supply Ukraine with weapons. The critical point was the disclosure of Kyiv's plans for a physical or military solution to the “Donbas issue”. Only a weak-willed country that is not interested in its own survival would not respond to such open challenges. So, once again, the operation is purely defensive in nature. Is Bosnia and Herzegovina or are any of its actions a threat to Russia's security? Is it killing Russian citizens or, perhaps, collecting our biological material in order to develop a virus in an American laboratory that would be spread to the southern regions of Russia, as was the case with the Kyiv regime? According to our information, no. Unless we know something… (Just kidding). And as long as this is the case, there is not the slightest reason for BiH citiens to worry about this,” the Embassy said.
A day later, the Embassy commented on the claim that Russia is “banning” Bosnia and Herzegovina from joining NATO and the European Union, arguing that “even the wording itself is ridiculous.”
Then it posed the question: “Can anyone forbid anything to a sovereign state that conducts its independent policy?”
“Despite countless statements from the Embassy clarifying our position on this matter, such doubts still exist in the media space of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Therefore, we want to once again reassure those who are particularly worried – we start solely from the fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina is independent in its decisions. Neither Russia, nor the European Union, nor the USA – no one has the right to interfere in its internal affairs and determine which way it should go”, the Embassy said.
However, it stated that this must be followed by a clarification that is likely to cause “a bunch of incorrect interpretations” stating implying that Russia is making threats.
“Bosnia and Herzegovina is free to take any step on the global scene. To join any organization – may it be political, economic, cultural, or of any kind. If the majority of citizens want it, if it brings some benefits to the country, encourages development, or strengthens ties with other nations of the world – go ahead, we will receive the news with sincere joy. But you (this actually refers to the leadership of the state) must understand that if you join a bloc whose main goal is the destruction of Russia, then we – also a free country with an independent foreign policy, like Bosnia and Herzegovina – have the right to defend ourselves. Do you understand the difference? As long as you don't take measures against us, we feel relaxed and have no need to strengthen our defences,” the Embassy said.
The Embassy noted that one can argue that efforts of a country to join NATO or the EU could have nothing to do with Russia, for example, so it can resolve accumulated internal contradictions – an idea the Embassy also called a myth.
However, it said that in case Brussels or Washington would “order the deployment of nuclear systems with missiles aimed at Moscow”, those who become members of those alliances, including BiH, would be forced to act accordingly.
“As long as we are not 100% sure about the reality of vile plans for the destruction of our country, no one will push the red button. Speaking seriously, I do not think we should expect any extreme developments.”
“So yes, it’s a free choice, but please do not limit us in our right to respond. Proportionally, of course. Until we are 100% certain about the reality of the insidious plans for the destruction of our country, no one will press the red button. But seriously speaking, we don't think we should expect any extreme developments,” the Facebook post said.
This is not the first time that Russia argued BiH’s NATO accession would represent an “anti-Russian” move and announced that Moscow would respond.
BiH Presidency 0member, Denis Becirovic, recently met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels and proposed “a new approach to the intensification of BiH's NATO integration through a joint road map, according to which BiH could be invited for NATO membership as soon as possible”. He repeated those views during his recent visit to the United States of America.
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