The Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Austria, Siniša Bencun, was summoned today by the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs following recent verbal attacks made by Milorad Dodik, President of the Republika Srpska entity, against Austria’s Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger.
In a public statement on their official X account, Austria’s MFA declared that “Milorad Dodik’s actions threaten the stability, constitutional order, and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
This strong diplomatic response comes amid a deepening political crisis in Bosnia, where Dodik’s increasingly secessionist stance has alarmed European capitals. His remarks come despite an active travel ban imposed by Austria and Germany, as confirmed by German Minister Anna Lührmann in early April. These sanctions also include the freezing of infrastructure projects planned for Republika Srpska.
Mocking the ban, Dodik recently claimed he could travel to Austria but simply “doesn’t want to,” undermining the significance of the restrictions. He stated:
“Check with Austria, this [foreign minister] talked nonsense about sanctions—there are none. I could go tomorrow, but I won’t. I don’t care that much.”
Earlier this year, the State Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina sentenced Dodik to one year in prison (pending appeal) and banned him from holding public office for six years for failing to comply with decisions from the High Representative in BiH.
The State Prosecutor’s Office later issued arrest warrants for Dodik, Prime Minister Radovan Višković, and RS National Assembly speaker Nenad Stevandić for allegedly undermining the constitutional order. The accusations stem from laws passed in RS which seek to ban the functioning of state-level judicial and security institutions within the entity.
Despite the Court of BiH requesting Interpol to issue a Red Notice, the request was denied. Efforts to detain Dodik within Bosnia have also failed, as RS police forces have obstructed state-level agents from executing the arrest order—raising concerns over rule of law, parallel authorities, and the deterioration of institutional unity in the country.
