Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is contributing to regional instability, as his visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina was accompanied by a security incident, just two months after a similar controversy in Montenegro, according to the Serbian news outlet Nova.rs.
The report states that residents of the Bugojno area alerted authorities after noticing a group of armed men, some traveling on all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), patrolling the area while claiming to be part of the Serbian president’s security detail.
After conducting checks, security authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina determined that the individuals were not members of Vučić’s official security team.
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Defence Minister Zukan Helez said that the individuals left the area quickly after being located by special police units of the Central Bosnia Canton.
He stressed that no one, including the Serbian president, has the right to bring unauthorized armed groups into Bosnia and Herzegovina or bypass procedures established for the protection of foreign officials.
Vučić’s visits “often accompanied by tensions”
Helez said that such controversies have unfortunately become unsurprising.
“For Aleksandar Vučić, these situations are unfortunately nothing new. His visits to the region are often accompanied by political tensions and actions that raise questions about respect for the institutions and procedures of host countries,” Helez stated.
From the “Tivat incident” to the Bugojno controversy
Nova.rs recalled that the latest incident comes only two months after what Serbian and Montenegrin media described as the “SNS supporters’ landing in Tivat,” when more than 80 Serbian citizens, supporters of Vučić, were turned back by Montenegrin authorities at Tivat Airport after being considered a potential security risk.
At the time, Vučić said they were his supporters who had traveled without his knowledge to show support during his participation in the EU–Western Balkans Summit in Montenegro.
The Serbian president has not yet provided an explanation regarding the latest incident near Bugojno.
Serbian diplomat: Every Vučić visit to neighboring countries is becoming an international incident
The Serbian outlet also cited diplomat Srećko Đukić, who argued that almost every visit by Vučić to neighboring countries is turning into a political controversy and security issue.
According to him, the Serbian president attempts to use appearances in areas where Serbs live outside Serbia to portray himself as their political leader and as someone who can speak on their behalf.
Đukić warned that such a policy benefits neither Serbia nor Serbs living in neighboring countries.
“Vučić is undermining the sovereignty of neighboring states”
The Serbian diplomat strongly criticized the idea promoted by authorities in Belgrade that “Serbian lands are wherever Serbs live,” describing it as a distorted interpretation of sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighboring countries.
He added that Serbian authorities would not behave in the same way in countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, or Austria, where large Serbian communities also live.
“This is arrogant behavior by the state leadership, which represents a serious political and security problem,” Đukić said.
In conclusion, he assessed that through the policies pursued by President Aleksandar Vučić, Serbia is increasingly positioning itself as a regional destabilizing factor, creating tensions with neighboring countries and damaging relations across the Balkans.
