DODIK CROSSED THE RED LINE

Schmidt with the Peace Implementation Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Christian Schmidt, warned the President of the Bosnian Serb entity Republika Srpska (RS), Milorad Dodik, that he has "crossed the red line" and thus excluded himself from discussions on resolving the deep political crisis in the country.

After a meeting with members of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council in BiH, Schmidt stated that the body condemned the actions of the RS authorities that challenge the constitutional framework of BiH and called on them to immediately appoint the two missing (Serb) judges to the Constitutional Court of BiH.

"We condemned Dodik’s inflammatory rhetoric against other ethnic groups, especially against the Bosniak people, as well as the increasing number of both verbal and physical attacks on opposition politicians," Schmidt said.

According to him, the "extremely concerning developments" in the RS entity are contrary to the positions of the High Representative under Annex 10 of the Dayton Agreement.

The High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina did not comment today on the announcement of another visit by Milorad Dodik to Russia. It is worth noting that since January 1, 2025, Dodik has visited Moscow three times: at the end of March, then in early April when he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and on May 9, when, despite warnings from the EU, he attended the Victory Day celebration alongside Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. On that occasion, Dodik briefly spoke with President Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.