Baerbock: Bosnia Can Join EU Only as Whole Country

Annalena Baerbock (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated in Sarajevo on March 5 that Bosnia and Herzegovina could only join the European Union “as a whole country.”

“We will clearly call out the secessionist fantasies. Only a unified Bosnia and Herzegovina can join the European Union. I discussed this particularly with the Serbian member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Zeljka Cvijanovic),” Baerbock stated after a meeting with the foreign minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konakovic.

She also commented on Russia’s influence in Bosnia, saying that she was “concerned with the rhetoric” pertaining to the views of Russia, and urged the authorities in Banjaluka to “walk together with the rest” on the path to the EU.

After a meeting with Baerbock, the high representative for Bosnia, Christian Schmidt, thanked Germany for its support to Bosnia and stressed that the OHR, together with Germany, would continue working on reaching lasting peace and stability in Bosnia and the region of Western Balkans. The president of Republika Srpska (RS), Milorad Dodik, reacted to the OHR’s statement immediately, referring to Schmidt as a “false” high representative and pointing out that “RS does not want to participate in the story that Schmidt and the OHR are promoting.”