The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, Mark Rutte, arrived on Monday for an official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he will meet with senior political leaders at a time when the authorities of the Republika Srpska, threatening secession, have attempted to halt the functioning of the state institutions of justice and police within its territory.
Currently, a meeting is taking place with the members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Željka Cvijanović, Denis Bećirović, and Šefik Džaferović, after which a press conference is scheduled.
After this meeting, Rutte will hold a meeting with the Chair of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Krišto.
In the afternoon, Rutte is expected to address students at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Sarajevo.
The NATO Secretary General arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina following the approval of unconstitutional laws in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Earlier, the RS Assembly passed a law to ban the activities of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Court, and the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, which is responsible for appointing all judges and prosecutors in the country.
The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has taken temporary action and suspended the implementation of the law passed by the RS National Assembly on February 27, one day after the President of RS, Milorad Dodik, was sentenced by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina to one year in prison and six years of prohibition from holding office. This is a first-instance sentence, against which Dodik has the right to appeal.
He was found guilty of disregarding the decisions of the High Representative, Christian Schmidt, and for signing the decree to reinstate laws previously annulled by Schmidt, which aimed to prevent the implementation of decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the High Representative within the RS territory.
NATO has repeatedly stated that the organization supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and will not allow a security vacuum or jeopardize the peace achieved with difficulty.
The European Union Force (EUFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina announced on March 7 that it would temporarily increase the number of its troops as a preventive measure, following an increase in tensions in the country. /REL/
