OSCE Chair Demands Respect For Constitution To End Bosnia's Crisis

The chairperson-in-office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Elina Valtonen, demanded respect for Bosnia-Herzegovina's constitutional framework during a visit to Sarajevo on March 18, as a political crisis centering on the country's Bosnian Serb entity Republika Srpska deepens.

Valtonen, who is also the Finnish foreign minister, was visiting the country at a time when Republika Srpska's under-pressure, pro-Russian President Milorad Dodik appears to be pushing his territory ever closer to secession while ignoring arrest warrants for him and other top politicians issued by Bosnia-Herzegovina's Prosecutor's Office.

"I call on all political leaders to respect the constitutional framework and to refrain from any actions that could lead to further destabilization of the country. Constructive dialogue is very important for moving forward," Valtonen said.

Valtonen additionally stressed the importance of the Dayton Accords, an agreement that ended war in Bosnia three decades ago and now underpins a complicated system of governance wherein the Bosniak-Croat Federation coexists with the ethnic Serb-dominated Republika Srpska under a weak central government.

Valtonen said the country should continue to pursue reforms that she called "a fundamental element on the path to EU integration."

Dodik, a veteran of the political scene in Republika Srpska, was once seen as a moderate who advocated for cooperation with the international community and supported Dayton.

But over time he has cultivated a more nationalist image, often confronting both Bosnia's central government and the Office of the High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina -- a position established under Dayton in order to oversee the implementation of civilian aspects of the agreement.

Bosnia's current crisis stems from Dodik's conflict with Hans Christian Friedrich Schmidt, the diplomat who has occupied the role of high representative since 2021.

It has accelerated toward a breaking point ever since the state Bosnian Court sentenced Dodik to jail over his failure to execute Schmidt's decisions in a first-degree verdict on February 27.

Since then Republika Srpska has passed laws barring state-level law enforcement and judicial organs from the entity while adopting the draft of a new constitution for the territory.

The last of those steps is arguably the most radical of all, aiming to redefine the Serb entity as a state of the Serbian people, grant it the right to self-determination, and establish its own national army.

Valtonen was appearing in Sarajevo alongside Elmedin Konakovic, Bosnia's Foreign Minister, who blasted Dodik and Republika Srpska's Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic for escalating the standoff.

"This best describes the current state of the country: On one side, we have threats called Dodik, Viskovic, and others, and on the other side, we have opportunities to develop our economy and provide prospects for the people of Bosnia," Konakovic said, stressing the country's desire for integration with the EU.

Dodik had the right to reman in office and appeal against the February 27 verdict that sentenced him to a year in jail and barred him from political activity.

But instead he ignored a court summons, triggering the arrest warrants issued for him, Viskovic, and parliamentary speaker Nenad Stevandic by state-level prosecutors on March 12.

"We will not respond.... If they think the solution is to see Dodik in handcuffs, that is their prerogative, but that does not mean they can do it. I will do my job and I will never leave Republika Srpska," Dodik vowed at a press conference.

The OSCE said the recent moves made by the Respublika Srpska leadership directly violate the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The laws passed by the entity's parliament in recent weeks have also earned condemnation from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and several foreign embassies in the country.