Why is the Declaration of the “All-Serb Assembly” Problematic?

A call for the unity of Serbs in the region and the protection of Serbian interests, under the motto “One People, One Assembly – Serbia and Srpska.”

This is what a declaration adopted by Serbia and the Serbian entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, envisions on June 8 in Belgrade.

Members of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the largest Serbian party in Kosovo, Lista Serbe, as well as other Serbs from the region, participated in the so-called “All-Serb Assembly.”

The United States expressed concern over this organization, which was welcomed by Russia.

Diplomat Wolfgang Petritsch, former international high representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told Radio Free Europe that Serbs should be united only under the umbrella of the European Union.

“History is very important to us Europeans. When Nazi Germany created an all-German parliament, an all-German movement, we ended up with World War II. I don’t want this to happen to the Serbs,” he said.

However, many Serbs do not think the same.

Branko Radivojević, a resident of Banja Luka, went to Belgrade on June 8 to support the idea of unity. “They [the Serbs] should live in one state,” he said.

Cveta Radulović, a resident of Belgrade, joined the crowd to experience once again the “national energy” that she said she believed had “been lost.”

For the Declaration of the “All-Serb Assembly” to come into force, it must be ratified in the Parliament of Serbia and that of Republika Srpska within 90 days.

What is stated in the Declaration?

The document consists of 49 points. It states that the Serbian people constitute a single entity and that although “throughout history, the Serbian people have lived in many states with different names, they have the right to preserve their rich tradition.”

Some believe that if it is implemented accurately, the cooperation between both parties will be much greater, and Serbia will increase its influence in Republika Srpska, consequently in Bosnia.

The joint declaration was adopted at a time when the president of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik – sanctioned by the USA – mentions the possibility of secession from Bosnia.

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, said that the document was drafted in accordance with resolutions, international law, and the Dayton Agreement, which ended the 1992-1995 conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina and created two entities, the Muslim-Croat Federation and Republika Srpska.

Vučić urged the representatives of Republika Srpska to resolve all issues in accordance with the Dayton Agreement, although he reiterated that Serbia “will never abandon the Serbs of Bosnia.”

Some saw Vučić’s stance as an attempt “to appease nationalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

A joint Statehood Day

The Declaration mentions that instead of January 9, Republika Srpska should mark Statehood Day on February 15, the same as Serbia.

For some Bosnian Serbs, this decision constitutes “betrayal of January 9” – a date declared unconstitutional for such a celebration in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as it coincides with the start of the conflict in this country in 1992.

The US Embassy in Sarajevo called the Declaration dangerous and full of mistakes. In a social media post, the Embassy said, “Republika Srpska is not a state and can only exist within Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

The part about Kosovo

Points 11-14 are dedicated to Kosovo, which in the Declaration is considered an inseparable part of Serbia.

It mentions that Serbs in Kosovo, as well as all other citizens loyal to Serbia, should protect monasteries, churches, private properties, cemeteries, and other endangered sites.

It also talks about the “intolerable living conditions of Serbs” in Kosovo – without mentioning any specific facts – and the need to create an Association of Serb-majority municipalities.

Petritsch has said that “leadership across the region is advised not to take unilateral steps that would jeopardize the positive achievements in the dialogue” between the two countries, which is mediated by the EU.

The US Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, said that the Declaration of June 8 does not align with the positions of the USA or other Western countries.

Support from Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, from Moscow, told participants that “Russia will never turn a blind eye to injustices against the fraternal Serbian people and attempts to demonize them.”

Diplomat Petritsch dismissed Lavrov’s claims.

“There is no demonization of the Serbs. This is not the way forward. We, in Europe, truly want to have good relations with the peoples of the former Yugoslavia. We are not against proper relations with Russia or China, but the Serbs must know that they are an integral part of Europe,” he said.

Serbia declares that it aims to join the European Union but maintains close ties with Russia and refuses to sanction it – unlike the European bloc – for the war started in Ukraine in 2022.

Petritsch believes that Serbs gain almost nothing from Russia, that they do little business with it, and that they are far apart geographically.

“Serbia is an integral part of European history, culture, and politics,” he said.