On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the declaration of independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, six US senators sent a resolution in support of a democratic, pluralistic and prosperous BiH for adoption in the US Senate.

The resolution, signed by Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Gary Peters, Roger Wicker, Richard Durbin, Chris Murphy and Ron Johnson, said BiH had historically been a pluralistic society made up of different religious, cultural and ethnic groups.

The senators recalled numerous historical dates and facts such as the declaration of independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina followed by a war that caused over 100,000 deaths and more than 2 million displaced citizens, NATO's key role in ending the war, the signing of the Dayton Accords and creating the Office of the High Representative (OHR), the transformation of SFOR into the European Peacekeeping Force EUFOR, the adoption of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) decision on the need to implement the “5 + 2” conditions for the closure of the OHR, as well as the 2009 judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the Sejdic – Finns against BiH case.

Senat SAD-a

Senat SAD-a

Senat SAD-a

Senat SAD-a

Senat SAD-a

Senat SAD-a

Senat SAD-a

Senat SAD-a

They pointed to NATO's invitation to join the Membership Action Plan (MAP) in 2010 and Bosnia’s first NATO reform program submitted in 2019.

The resolution also recalled that BiH adopted the strategy of joining the European Union in May 2019 and that the USA and the EU supported the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state in October 2021.

The senators warned that some BH and foreign politicians continue to deny the Srebrenica genocide of 1995, recalling American sanctions against BiH Presidency member Milorad Dodik, and how the Republika Srpska entity continued to celebrate the unconstitutional RS Day.

They also mentioned that all recent events have led to the BH economy falling by 4.3% and youth unemployment rising to 33.6%, which has further led to the emigration of almost 400,000 BH citizens in the last eight years.

In this regard, they proposed 14 conclusions asking the Senate to:

(1) congratulate Bosnia and Herzegovina on the 30th anniversary of its declaration of independence;

(2) reaffirm strong and longstanding bipartisan support for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and continues to believe that peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina is integral to the peace and stability of Europe as a whole;

(3) call on all parties to uphold the spirit of unity enshrined in the Dayton Accords and to redouble their efforts to enact electoral and targeted constitutional reforms prior to the 2022 general election in Bosnia and Herzegovina;

(4) call on the members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina to recognize their critical role in preserving stability and to work together in the best interests of their constituents as part of a sovereign and independent Bosnia and Herzegovina within its internationally recognized borders;

(5) encourage the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina to continue pursuing membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union and urges the European Union to increase its efforts, cooperation, and assistance to swiftly advance the accession process;

(6) call on the President to prioritize efforts to combat political corruption, democratic backsliding, unemployment, and brain drain in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in particular, by focusing on youth engagement;

7) commend the continued efforts of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) to advance reforms, reaffirms the authority of the OHR as articulated in the Dayton Accords, and calls on members of the Peace and Implementation Council to provide their full support to the OHR and advancement of the 5+2 Agenda;

(8) call on the President to develop an inclusive and comprehensive strategy for Bosnia and Herzegovina, in coordination with Bosnian and Herzegovinian civil society and the European Union, and to increase engagement with minority groups in an effort to hear from a diverse cross-section of citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina, inclusive of all ethnic, political, or religious affiliations;

(9) encourage the United Nations and its member states to continue to support the EUFOR-Althea stabilization force and to review the current levels of the force in the face of challenges to the integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina;

(10) encourage the United States to consider additional steps to support security and stabilization in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to support EUFOR;

(11) condemn individuals who are actively seeking to undermine the security, stability, and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and urges the President and European allies of the United States to hold such individuals accountable for their actions, including through the use of sanctions where appropriate;

(12) condemn the inflammatory rhetoric of politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina and others in the region who deny the severity or perpetration of war crimes and genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina;

(13) condemn politicians in Bosnian and Herzegovina and the region who —

(A) persist in rampant corruption for personal enrichment at the cost of the prosperity of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina; and

(B) prevent Bosnia and Herzegovina from adopting the reforms necessary to secure membership in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; and

(14) emphasize that the United States Government will continue to support the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina in their quest to build a unified, pluralistic, prosperous, and peaceful state.