Meinl-Reisinger demands sanctions against Dodik on Sarajevo trip!

Meinl-Reisinger demands sanctions against Dodik on Sarajevo trip!

The Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger will visit Sarajevo on Thursday and Friday to meet with various political representatives of Bosnia. Talks are planned with the Bosnian Foreign Minister Elmedin Konaković, the high representative of Christian Schmidt and the Bosnian Prime Minister Borjana Krišto. A meeting with the German EU State Secretary Anna Lührmann (Greens) is also on the agenda. A visit to the EU protection force EUfor at Camp Butmir, where around 1,000 soldiers are currently stationed, is particularly highlighted, including 227 from Austria. This visit takes place in a context of increasing tensions in the country, in particular through the machinations of Milorad Dodik, the President of the Serbian country part of Bukovina.

MeinL-Reisinger calls for sanctions against Dodik, who is criticized for "clear violations of constitutional law". The United States has already imposed sanctions against it, while EU sanctions have been blocked due to a Veto Hungary. The Bosnian State Court even issued an international arrest warrant against Dodik because the public prosecutor ordered its arrest for disregard for the high representative. Dodik himself unilaterally declares the jurisdiction of the judiciary and police of the Bosnian central state for the Republika Srpska and threatens to split off.

eufor and the security context

The increase in the Eufor troops is seen in response to the increasing tensions in the Serbian part of the country. The former Bosnia representative Valentin Inzko has spoken out for a stronger presence of Eufor, especially in the Brčko district. Inzko warns of an “appeasement” towards Dodik and emphasizes that consequences for the destruction of the state would be inevitable.

Since December 2022, Bosnia has had the status of an EU candidate. An important step in this process was the EU's decision to decide on the inclusion of accession negotiations in March 2024. Austria confirms their support for the integration of the region into the EU as part of the "Friends of the Western Balkans". However, political instability in Bosnia is also threatened by external documents such as the controversial non-paper "Western Balkan-a way forward" that has been circulating since spring 2021

The non-paper and its effects

This document proposes a reorganization of the Western Balkans according to ethnic principles, whereby "ethnically pure" nation states should be formed to defuse crises. This could potentially lead to a dangerous political situation. Suggestions for creating large countries such as Groß-Albania, Greater Serbia and Greater Croatia were critically discussed in the past and have triggered concern. Experts in the Balkans warn of a return to military conflicts, while state representatives, including Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Northern Macedonia, have rejected these ideas as "fire -threatening".

Overall, this situation shows how important the upcoming visit of Meinl-Reisinger in Sarajevo is to promote stability in the region and to work for the security and integration of Bosnia into the EU. The challenges are great, but strong international cooperation could be the key to a peaceful solution.