UN Security Council expresses strong support for Bosnia and Herzegovina

According to Puljic, the United States supported Bosnia and Herzegovina and its state institutions, though not as strongly as the US State Department had done in its direct statement through the US Embassy in Sarajevo.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing a deep political crisis following the first-instance conviction of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik for defying decisions of the High Representative. Dodik facilitated the publication of laws in the RS entity that sought to prohibit the enforcement of rulings by the Constitutional Court of BiH and decisions of the High Representative.

In response, the RS National Assembly, which is under Dodik’s control, passed a set of laws banning the work of BiH’s State Prosecutor’s Office, the Court of BiH, the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) within the entity’s territory.

If convicted in the second-instance trial, Dodik faces a one-year prison sentence and a ban from political activity.

RS representative in Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency, Zeljka Cvijanovic, sent a letter to the Security Council via the Russian Federation, claiming that Dodik’s indictment and conviction resulted from the High Representative's interference in domestic legislation. She criticized Christian Schmidt, the German diplomat serving as the international community's High Representative, accusing him of unlawfully criminalizing defiance of his decisions.

"Christian Schmidt, a German politician falsely claiming the title of High Representative, is acting unlawfully and without any legitimate mandate, pushing Bosnia and Herzegovina to the brink of collapse," Cvijanovic wrote.

Russia supported RS positions, arguing that Bosnia and Herzegovina was under a "colonial system" and asserting that Dodik’s case was an internal matter.

The High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the civilian aspects of the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement. However, with Russian backing, Republika Srpska continues to call for the closure of the Office of the High Representative.

During the UN consultation, several Security Council members, including the United Kingdom, Greece, Denmark, and particularly France, opposed Russia’s stance. These nations reaffirmed the importance of respecting the Dayton Peace Agreement, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and the authority of the High Representative.

"They emphasized the rule of law, the need to comply with court rulings, and called on all parties to refrain from divisive rhetoric and actions that could destabilize the country," Puljic reported, citing sources.