Konakovic: Schmidt May Leave as High Representative, OHR Stays in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Elmedin Konakovic (BETAPHOTO/HINA/FENA/Hazim Aljovic)

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Elmedin Konakovic said in Sarajevo on Apr. 6 that the Office of the High Representative (OHR), as an institution, would not be closed, but that the current High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, might leave the post.

Konakovic said he "views the work of Christian Schmidt very positively," adding that he was "far from satisfied with all of his decisions, but Schmidt did preserve the constitutional system of Bosnia and Herzegovina on several occasions." "He has had more to do than some other high representatives," Konakovic explained. According to him, there have been attacks on the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as efforts to close the OHR.

"Those are Dodik’s lobbying goals – secession and the closure of the OHR. That cannot happen. I am surprised that some parties in Sarajevo are participating in that campaign. We have some information, and if Schmidt were to leave, those who understand the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina would come," Konakovic said. He stressed that without the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the OHR, Milorad Dodik would attempt secession and lead Bosnia and Herzegovina into a new conflict, which is why, he added, he continuously targeted the OHR.

The Sarajevo-based portal Raport reported a few days ago that Schmidt could remain at the head of the OHR in Bosnia and Herzegovina until November, and that among the potential candidates for the new high representative, Karen Pierce stands out. Pierce currently serves as the United Kingdom’s Special Envoy for the Western Balkans.