NATO: We Will Not Allow Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina to Be Threatened

Author: M.J. GDNUS

From the headquarters of the North Atlantic Alliance, NATO has stated that it remains firmly committed to Bosnia and Herzegovina, regional stability, and the Dayton Agreement, emphasizing that the upcoming visit of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on March 10 is another tangible demonstration of this commitment.

"We strongly support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. A stable and secure Bosnia and Herzegovina and a peaceful Western Balkans are in our strategic interest. We will not allow a security vacuum to emerge, and we will not allow the hard-won peace to be threatened. NATO continues to support the EU-led Althea mission through the Berlin Plus arrangements," NATO announced to Al Jazeera.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing a severe political crisis after the president of the Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, was convicted in the first instance for failing to comply with the decisions of the High Representative of the international community in BiH, as he enabled the publication of laws in RS that attempted to prevent the enforcement of rulings by the state Constitutional Court of BiH and decisions of the High Representative.

In response to the ruling, the National Assembly of RS, controlled by Dodik, adopted a set of laws banning the operations of the state Prosecutor's Office of BiH, the Court of BiH, the Agency for Investigation and Protection (SIPA), and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council in that entity.

If Dodik is convicted in the second instance, he faces a prison sentence and a ban on political activity.